Association of exposure to artificial light at night with atopic diseases: A cross-sectional study in college students

Zhenwei Tang; Shenxin Li; Minxue Shen; Yi Xiao; Juan Su; Juan Tao; Xiaohui Wang; Shijun Shan; Xiaojing Kang; Bin Wu; Bin Zou; Xiang Chen

doi:10.1016/j.ijheh.2022.113932

Association of exposure to artificial light at night with atopic diseases: A cross-sectional study in college students

Int J Hyg Environ Health. 2022 Apr:241:113932. doi: 10.1016/j.ijheh.2022.113932. Epub 2022 Feb 1.

Authors

Zhenwei Tang¹, Shenxin Li², Minxue Shen³, Yi Xiao⁴, Juan Su¹, Juan Tao⁵, Xiaohui Wang⁶, Shijun Shan⁷, Xiaojing Kang⁸, Bin Wu⁹, Bin Zou², Xiang Chen¹⁰

Affiliations

¹ Department of Dermatology, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, China; Hunan Key Laboratory of Skin Cancer and Psoriasis, Hunan Engineering Research Center of Skin Health and Disease, Central South University, Changsha, China.
² Department of Surveying and Remote Sensing Science, School of Geosciences and Info-physics, Central South University, Changsha, China.
³ Department of Dermatology, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, China; Hunan Key Laboratory of Skin Cancer and Psoriasis, Hunan Engineering Research Center of Skin Health and Disease, Central South University, Changsha, China; Department of Social Medicine and Health Management, Xiangya School of Public Health, Central South University, Changsha, China. Electronic address: shenmx1988@csu.edu.cn.
⁴ Department of Dermatology, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, China; Hunan Key Laboratory of Skin Cancer and Psoriasis, Hunan Engineering Research Center of Skin Health and Disease, Central South University, Changsha, China. Electronic address: kittyxiaoyi2013@126.com.
⁵ Department of Dermatology, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China.
⁶ Department of Dermatology, Zhongshan Hospital, Xiamen University, Xiamen, China.
⁷ Department of Dermatology, Xiang'an Hospital, Xiamen University, Xiamen, China.
⁸ Department of Dermatology, People's Hospital of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Urumchi, China.
⁹ Department of Dermatology, The Affiliated People's Hospital of Inner Mongolia Medical University, Hohhot, China.
¹⁰ Department of Dermatology, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, China; Hunan Key Laboratory of Skin Cancer and Psoriasis, Hunan Engineering Research Center of Skin Health and Disease, Central South University, Changsha, China. Electronic address: chenxiangck@126.com.

PMID: 35121380
DOI: 10.1016/j.ijheh.2022.113932

Abstract

The impact of artificial light at night (ALAN) exposure on health has become increasingly prominent. However, little is known about the effect of ALAN exposure on atopic diseases. In this study, a cross-sectional analysis of incoming students was conducted in 5 geographically disperse universities which locate in Changsha (south), Wuhan (central), Xiamen (east), Urumchi (west), and Hohhot (north), respectively. All incoming students who consented to participate were recruited, followed by a health examination and a questionnaire survey. Prevalent atopic diseases were diagnosed by clinicians. Mean ALAN (nanoWatts/cm²/sr) during their adolescence was obtained from the remote sensing observed nighttime light data matching with their residence information, which was obtained from survey. Mixed generalized linear models (log-binomial) were used to estimate the associations, in terms of prevalence ratio (PR) with 95% confidence interval (CI). A total of 20106 participants were included in the analysis. Based on previous work, we chose factors including socioeconomic status, behavioural factors, major air pollutants, and air climatic parameters for adjustment. After full adjustment, the PR for atopic diseases was 1.35 (95% CI: 1.27-1.42; P < 0.001). The effect size of ALAN was the largest for asthma (PR = 1.80; 95% CI: 1.48-2.19; P < 0.001), followed by atopic rhinitis (PR = 1.42; 95% CI: 1.33-1.51; P < 0.001), and atopic dermatitis (PR = 1.20; 95% CI: 1.06-1.35; P = 0.003). Subgroup analyses by covariates showed consistent results. This study revealed that exposure to ALAN during adolescence may contribute to a higher risk of atopic diseases in young adulthood.

Keywords: Adolescence; Allergy; Asthma; Atopic diseases; NPP-VIIRS; Nighttime light.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Adolescent
Adult
Cross-Sectional Studies
Dermatitis, Atopic* / epidemiology
Eczema*
Humans
Light Pollution
Prevalence
Risk Factors
Students
Young Adult