Short-Term Impacts of Ambient Air Pollution on Health-Related Quality of Life: A Korea Health Panel Survey Study

Myung-Jae Hwang, Jong-Hun Kim and Hae-Kwan Cheong
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Myung-Jae Hwang: Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Suwon 16419, Gyeonggi-do, Korea
Jong-Hun Kim: Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Suwon 16419, Gyeonggi-do, Korea
Hae-Kwan Cheong: Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Suwon 16419, Gyeonggi-do, Korea

IJERPH, 2020, vol. 17, issue 23, 1-11

Abstract: Previous studies have demonstrated that ambient air pollution leads to a decrease in mental and physical function. Although studies on the relationship between long-term exposure to air pollution and health-related quality of life have been conducted, the impact of short-term exposure has rarely been reported. This study explored the association between short-term exposure to air pollution and EuroQol-visual analog scale (EQ-VAS) scores, an indicator of health-related quality of life, using repeated measures. We selected 5420 respondents from seven metropolitan cities (Seoul, Busan, Daegu, Incheon, Gwangju, Daejeon, Ulsan) and one province (Jeju) in South Korea who had participated three or more times in the Korea Health Panel survey conducted from 2009 to 2013. A total of 24,536 observations were used. We applied the daily lag effects of air pollutants on the EQ-VAS stratified by sex and age group using the generalized linear mixed model. After controlling confounders, the EQ-VAS scores decreased statistically significantly in males aged 40–49 years, and females aged 50–64 years with chronic disease. The EQ-VAS scores reduced the most to ?1.571 (95% confidence interval: ?2.307–?0.834) and ?1.722 (95% confidence interval: ?2.499–?0.944) per interquartile range increment of carbon monoxide in males aged 40–49 years and per interquartile range increment of sulfur dioxide in females aged 50–64 years, respectively. This study provides evidence that short-term exposure to air pollution is related to the discomfort experienced by individuals in their daily lives.

Keywords: air pollution; quality of life; EuroQol-visual analog scale; Korea Health Panel Survey (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
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