Influence of socioeconomic conditions on air pollution adverse health effects in elderly people: an analysis of six regions in Sao Paulo, Brazil

Abstract

Study objective: To evaluate if the effects of particulate matter (PM 10 ) on respiratory mortality of elderly people are affected by socioeconomic status. Design: Time series studies. The daily number of elderly respiratory deaths were modelled in generalised linear Poisson regression models controlling for long term trend, weather, and day of the week, from January 1997 to December 1999, in six different regions of São Paulo City, Brazil. The regions were defined according to the proximity of air pollution monitoring stations. Three socioeconomic indicators were used: college education, monthly income, and housing. Main results: For a 10 mg/m 3 increase in PM 10 , the percentage increase in respiratory mortality varied from 1.4% (95% CI 5.9 to 8.7) to 14.2% (95% CI 0.4 to 28.0). The overall percentage increase in the six regions was 5.4% (95% CI 2.3 to 8.6). The effect of PM 10 was negatively correlated with both percentage of people with college education and high family income, and it was positively associated with the percentage of people living in slums. Conclusions: These results suggest that socioeconomic deprivation represents an effect modifier of the association between air pollution and respiratory deaths.

A systematic review of the physical and chemical characteristics of pollutants from biomass burning and combustion of fossil fuels and health effects in Brazil

“…With regard to the elderly, the largest relative risk of death due to respiratory diseases was found by Martins et al 41 . Increments of 10µg/ m 3 of daily levels of PM 10 are associated with a 5.4% increase (RR = 1.054, 95%CI: 1.023-1.086) in mortality due to respiratory diseases in the elderly (Figure 1b).…”

“…Unfortunately, few studies related to the adverse health effects of PM 2.5 have been carried out in this region. Source: Gouveia et al 35 (A); Gouveia et al 35 (B); Gouveia et al 49 (C); Gouveia & Fletcher 22 (D); Gouveia et al 35 (E); Freitas et al 38 (F); Daumas et al 42 (G); Martins et al 41 …”

“…However, the risk of death due to respiratory diseases is higher among the elderly than in children for the same variation in PM 10 levels. With respect to the elderly population over the age of 65 in São Paulo, the percentage increase in the number of deaths was 5.4% 41 .…”

“…Ninety articles (66%) deal with the adverse respiratory effects of air pollution of which 54 (60%) were selected 21,22,23,24,25,26,27,28,29,30,31,32,33,34,35,36,37,38,39,40,41,42,43,44,45,46,47,48,49,50,51,52,53,54,55,56,57,58,59,60,61,62,63,64,65,66,67,68,69,70,71,72,73,…”

Impacto de un sitio de disposición final de residuos sólidos en la salud respiratoria de los adultos mayores

“…La presencia de síntomas respiratorios también se encontró asociada a otros factores descritos en la literatura científica, como factores de riesgo para la presencia de enfermedad respiratoria en la población adulta mayor, como son la edad, el sexo (29,30), el consumo de cigarrillo (31,32), la humedad en la vivienda (33)(34)(35)(36), la condición socioeconómica (37)(38)(39)(40), la afiliación a la seguridad social, la presencia de enfermedades concomitantes y otras fuentes de contaminación atmosférica como la ocupacional (41,42) y la cercanía a cultivos de caña de azúcar, que son quemados para su cosecha (43).…”