Association between short- and long-term exposures to air pollutants and internalizing/externalizing behavior in children aged 4 to 7 years

Environ Sci Pollut Res Int. 2023 Mar;30(13):37321-37331. doi: 10.1007/s11356-022-24811-x. Epub 2022 Dec 26.

Abstract

The effects of air pollutants on psychological health have attracted increasing attention worldwide. However, there is limited evidence on the association between air pollution and children's psychological development. This study explores the association between short- and long-term exposures to air pollutants and children's internalizing and externalizing behaviors. A total of 2303 children of 4-7 years were included in this study. We assessed their behavior using the Child Behavior Checklist (4-16 years). The prevalence of internalizing and externalizing behavior was 4.77% and 4.43%, respectively. For short-term exposure, CO pollution was associated with children's internalizing behaviors, with each 1 mg/m3 increment leading to an odds ratio (OR) of 1.063 (95% CI 1.005, 1.124), 1.065 (95% CI 1.009, 1.124), 1.067 (95% CI 1.007, 1.131), and 1.122 (95% CI 1.018, 1.236) at lag04, lag05, lag06, and lag0120, respectively. O3 (per 1 g[Formula: see text]/m3) was negatively associated with internalizing problems at lag2 [OR = 0.991 (95% CI 0.983, 0.999)]. NO2 (per 1 g[Formula: see text]/m3) was significantly associated with externalizing behaviors, with the ORs of 1.067 (95% CI 1.024, 1.111) at lag060 and 1.060 (95% CI 1.010, 1.113) at lag0120. For long-term exposure, it indicated that 1-year exposure to CO (per 1 mg/m3) and PM2.5 (per 1 g[Formula: see text]/m3) was positively associated with internalizing behavioral risk [OR = 1.724 (95% CI 1.187, 2.504); PM2.5: OR = 1.236 (95% CI 1.114, 1.371)], whereas NO2 (per 1 g[Formula: see text]/m3) exposure was associated with an increased risk of externalizing behavior [OR = 1.123 (95% CI 1.003, 1.256)]. In addition, the interaction analysis showed that boys were at a higher risk of abnormal behaviors associated with long-term exposure to CO, PM2.5, and NO2. Our findings reveal a potential link between air pollution exposure and abnormal behaviors in kindergarten children after short-/long-term exposure, which is an essential supplement to the studies on the association between air pollution and children's behavioral problems.

Keywords: Child Behavior Checklist; Children; Externalizing problems; Internalizing problems; Long-term air pollution; Short-term air pollution.

MeSH terms

  • Air Pollutants* / analysis
  • Air Pollution* / analysis
  • Child
  • Environmental Exposure / analysis
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Nitrogen Dioxide / analysis
  • Particulate Matter / analysis
  • Problem Behavior*

Substances

  • Air Pollutants
  • Nitrogen Dioxide
  • Particulate Matter