Heterogeneous Urban Exposures and Prevalent Hypertension in the Helsinki Capital Region, Finland

Enembe O. Okokon, Tarja Yli-Tuomi, Taina Siponen, Pekka Tiittanen, Anu W. Turunen, Leena Kangas, Ari Karppinen, Jaakko Kukkonen and Timo Lanki
Additional contact information
Enembe O. Okokon: Environmental Health Unit, Department of Health Security, Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare, Neulaniementie 4, P.O. Box 95, FI-70701 Kuopio, Finland
Tarja Yli-Tuomi: Environmental Health Unit, Department of Health Security, Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare, Neulaniementie 4, P.O. Box 95, FI-70701 Kuopio, Finland
Taina Siponen: Environmental Health Unit, Department of Health Security, Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare, Neulaniementie 4, P.O. Box 95, FI-70701 Kuopio, Finland
Pekka Tiittanen: Environmental Health Unit, Department of Health Security, Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare, Neulaniementie 4, P.O. Box 95, FI-70701 Kuopio, Finland
Anu W. Turunen: Environmental Health Unit, Department of Health Security, Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare, Neulaniementie 4, P.O. Box 95, FI-70701 Kuopio, Finland
Leena Kangas: Department of Atmospheric Composition Research, Finnish Meteorological Institute, Erik Palménin Aukio 1, FI-00560 Helsinki, Finland
Ari Karppinen: Department of Atmospheric Composition Research, Finnish Meteorological Institute, Erik Palménin Aukio 1, FI-00560 Helsinki, Finland
Jaakko Kukkonen: Department of Atmospheric Composition Research, Finnish Meteorological Institute, Erik Palménin Aukio 1, FI-00560 Helsinki, Finland
Timo Lanki: Environmental Health Unit, Department of Health Security, Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare, Neulaniementie 4, P.O. Box 95, FI-70701 Kuopio, Finland

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 3, 1-14

Abstract: Urban dwellers are simultaneously exposed to several environmental health risk factors. This study aimed to examine the relationship between long-term exposure to fine particulate matter (PM 2.5 , diameter < 2.5 µm) of residential-wood-burning and road-traffic origin, road-traffic noise, green space around participants’ homes, and hypertension. In 2015 and 2016, we conducted a survey of residents of the Helsinki Capital Region to determine their perceptions of environmental quality and safety, lifestyles, and health statuses. Recent antihypertensive medication was used as an indicator of current hypertensive illness. Individual-level exposure was estimated by linking residential coordinates with modelled outdoor levels of wood-smoke- and traffic-related PM 2.5 , road-traffic noise, and coverage of natural spaces. Relationships between exposure and hypertension were modelled using multi-exposure and single-exposure binary logistic regression while taking smooth functions into account. Twenty-eight percent of the participants were current users of antihypertensive medication. The odds ratios (95% confidence interval) for antihypertensive use were 1.12 (0.78–1.57); 0.97 (0.76–1.26); 0.98 (0.93–1.04) and 0.99 (0.94–1.04) for wood-smoke PM 2.5 , road-traffic PM 2.5 , road-traffic noise, and coverage of green space, respectively. We found no evidence of an effect of the investigated urban exposures on prevalent hypertension in the Helsinki Capital Region.

Keywords: wood smoke PM 2.5; road-traffic PM 2.5; road-traffic noise; green areas; hypertension (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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