Effects of Air Pollution on the Health of Older Adults during Physical Activities: Mapping Review

Alexandro Andrade; Anderson D'Oliveira; Loiane Cristina De Souza; Ana Cecilia Rosatelli de Freitas Bastos; Fábio Hech Dominski; Luca Stabile; Giorgio Buonanno

doi:10.3390/ijerph20043506

Effects of Air Pollution on the Health of Older Adults during Physical Activities: Mapping Review

Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2023 Feb 16;20(4):3506. doi: 10.3390/ijerph20043506.

Authors

Alexandro Andrade¹, Anderson D'Oliveira¹, Loiane Cristina De Souza¹, Ana Cecilia Rosatelli de Freitas Bastos¹, Fábio Hech Dominski², Luca Stabile³, Giorgio Buonanno^{3

4}

Affiliations

¹ Health and Sports Science Center, Department of Physical Education, CEFID, Santa Catarina State University, Florianópolis 88035-901, Brazil.
² Department of Physical Education, Univille University, Joinville 89219-710, Brazil.
³ Department of Civil and Mechanical Engineering, University of Cassino and Southern Lazio, Via Di Biasio 43, 03043 Cassino, Italy.
⁴ International Laboratory for Air Quality and Health, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane 4001, Australia.

Abstract

Atmospheric pollutants present environmental threats to health and have been investigated in different environments, such as highways, squares, parks, and gyms. These environments are frequented by older adults, who are considered fragile to the harmful impacts of pollution present in the air. The aim was to analyze the state of the art on the effects of air pollution on the health of older adults during physical activities (PAs) through a mapping review. The search was performed in PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, and Cinahl databases until June 2022. Of the 10,109 studies initially identified, 58 met the inclusion criteria. The most investigated health outcome was cardiovascular disease, followed by respiratory outcomes. Particulate matter (PM_2.5 and PM₁₀), nitrogen dioxide (NO₂), and ozone (O₃) were the most investigated pollutants. Of the 75 health outcomes investigated, in 29, air pollution had harmful effects on the health of the older adults during the practice of PA, more frequently in cardiovascular diseases. In 25 outcomes, the beneficial effects of PA to the health of the older adults remained, despite exposure to high and low concentrations of pollutants, most often in terms of mental disorders. We conclude that poor air quality is a harmful factor for the health of older adults during the practice of PAs, more frequently in cardiovascular and respiratory diseases. On the other hand, for mental-health-related outcomes (depression and cognition), in most studies, the beneficial effects of PA in older adults were maintained, even after exposure to pollutants.

Keywords: aging; environment and public health; evidence-based review; exercise.

Publication types

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

MeSH terms

Aged
Air Pollutants* / analysis
Air Pollution* / analysis
Cardiovascular Diseases*
Environmental Exposure / analysis
Environmental Pollutants*
Humans
Nitrogen Dioxide / analysis
Ozone* / analysis
Particulate Matter / analysis

Substances

Air Pollutants
Particulate Matter
Ozone
Nitrogen Dioxide
Environmental Pollutants

Grants and funding

This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors. This work was supported by the Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior-Brazil (CAPES) and the FAPESC-Foundation for research and innovation support of the State of Santa Catarina—grant number 2019031000035 and call number EDITAL DE CHAMADA PÚBLICA FAPESC N° 027/2020 and National Council for Scientific and Technological Development/CNPq.