Association between Exposure to Particulate Matter Air Pollution during Early Childhood and Risk of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder in Taiwan

Hueng-Chuen Fan, Chuan-Mu Chen, Jeng-Dau Tsai, Kuo-Liang Chiang, Stella Chin-Shaw Tsai, Ching-Ying Huang, Cheng-Li Lin, Chung Y. Hsu and Kuang-Hsi Chang ()
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Hueng-Chuen Fan: Department of Pediatrics, Tungs’ Taichung Metroharbor Hospital, Wuchi, Taichung 435, Taiwan
Chuan-Mu Chen: The iEGG and Animal Biotechnology Center, and Rong Hsing Research Center for Translational Medicine, National Chung Hsing University, Taichung 402, Taiwan
Jeng-Dau Tsai: School of Medicine, Chung Shan Medical University, Taichung 402, Taiwan
Kuo-Liang Chiang: Department of Pediatric Neurology, Kuang-Tien General Hospital, Taichung 433, Taiwan
Stella Chin-Shaw Tsai: Ph.D. Program in Translational Medicine, Department of Life Sciences, National Chung Hsing University, Taichung 402, Taiwan
Ching-Ying Huang: Department of Food Science and Biotechnology, National Chung Hsing University, Taichung 402, Taiwan
Cheng-Li Lin: Management Office for Health Data, China Medical University Hospital, Taichung 404, Taiwan
Chung Y. Hsu: Graduate Institute of Clinical Medical Science, China Medical University, Taichung 404, Taiwan
Kuang-Hsi Chang: Ph.D. Program in Translational Medicine, Department of Life Sciences, National Chung Hsing University, Taichung 402, Taiwan

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 23, 1-10

Abstract: (1) Background: Recently, a growing number of studies have provided evidence to suggest a strong correlation between air pollution exposure and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). In this study, we assessed the relationship between early-life exposure to particulate matter (PM) 10 , PM 2 . 5 , and ADHD; (2) Methods: The National Health Insurance Research Database (NHIRD) contains the medical records, drug information, inspection data, etc., of the people of Taiwan, and, thus, could serve as an important research resource. Air pollution data were based on daily data from the Environmental Protection Administration Executive Yuan, R.O.C. (Taiwan). These included particulate matter (PM 2.5 and PM 10 ). The two databases were merged according to the living area of the insured and the location of the air quality monitoring station; (3) Results: The highest levels of air pollutants, including PM 2.5 (adjusted hazard ratio (aHR) = 1.79; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.58–2.02) and PM 10 (aHR = 1.53; 95% CI = 1.37–1.70), had a significantly higher risk of ADHD; (4) Conclusions: As such, measures for air quality control that meet the WHO air quality guidelines should be strictly and uniformly implemented by Taiwanese government authorities.

Keywords: attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD); particulate matter (PM); National Health Insurance Research Database (NHIRD) (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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