Ambient Air Pollution and Cardiorespiratory Outcomes amongst Adults Residing in Four Informal Settlements in the Western Province of South Africa
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2021-12-17
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International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
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Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute
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Few studies have investigated the relationship between ambient air pollution and cardiorespiratory outcomes in Africa. A cross-sectional study comprising of 572 adults from four informal settlements in the Western Cape, South Africa was conducted. Participants completed a questionnaire adapted from the European Community Respiratory Health Survey, and the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey questionnaire. Exposure estimates were previously modelled using Land-Use Regression for Particulate Matter (PM<sub>2.5</sub>) and Nitrogen Dioxide (NO<sub>2</sub>) at participants’ homes. The median age of the participants was 40.7 years, and 88.5% were female. The median annual NO<sub>2</sub> level was 19.7 µg/m<sup>3</sup> (interquartile range [IQR: 9.6–23.7]) and the median annual PM<sub>2.5</sub> level was 9.7 µg/m<sup>3</sup> (IQR: 7.3–12.4). Logistic regression analysis was used to assess associations between outcome variables and air pollutants. An interquartile range increase of 5.12 µg/m<sup>3</sup> in PM<sub>2.5</sub> was significantly associated with an increased prevalence of self-reported chest-pain, [Odds ratio: 1.38 (95% CI: 1.06–1.80)], adjusting for NO<sub>2</sub>, and other covariates. The study found preliminary circumstantial evidence of an association between annual ambient PM<sub>2.5</sub> exposure and self-reported chest-pain (a crude proxy of angina-related pain), even at levels below the South African National Ambient Air Quality Standards.
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International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 18 (24): 13306 (2021)