Association of PM2.5 chemical constituents with general, abdominal and visceral obesity and mediation roles of physical activity

• Published in: Environmental sciences Europe Vol. 36; no. 1; p. 107
• Main Authors: Ye, Tingting, Shao, Ying, Cai, Changwei, Li, Yuchen, Yu, Bin, Qiao, Xu, Feng, Chuanteng, Jia, Peng, Yang, Shujuan
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin/Heidelberg Springer Berlin Heidelberg 01.12.2024; Springer Nature B.V; SpringerOpen
• Subjects: Adipose tissue; adiposity; Adults; Air pollution; Airborne particulates; Body mass index; China; Constituents; disease surveillance; Earth and Environmental Science; Ecotoxicology; Environment; Environmental health; Epidemiology; Exercise; Exposure; Health risk assessment; Obesity; Particulate matter; Physical activity; PM2.5; Pollution; Public health; Quantiles; Regression; Regression analysis; waist circumference; Weighted quantile sum regression; China; Obesity; Weighted quantile sum regression; Physical activity; PM
• ISSN: 2190-4715; 2190-4715
• DOI: 10.1186/s12302-024-00935-4

Background The association between exposure to PM 2.5 chemical constituents and obesity remains to be elucidated, as most studies have used a single measure of obesity. This study aimed to investigate the associations of exposure to PM 2.5 chemical constituents with general, abdominal, and visceral obesity, and the mediation effect of physical activity (PA) in the associations. Methods Based on a total of 49,819 adults from the baseline of the Yunnan Behavior and Disease Surveillance cohort (YBDS) in southern China in 2021, we used multiple linear regression, weighted quantile sum regression, and quantile regression to estimate independent and joint effects of PM 2.5 chemical constituents on elevated BMI, waist circumference (WC) and visceral adiposity index (VAI) and whether these effects changed in quantiles. Mediation analysis was used to examine whether physical activity acts as a mediator in these pathways. Results Per IQR μg/m 3 increase in all PM 2.5 chemical constituents was significantly associated with the elevated BMI (β [95% CI]: 0.170 [0.127, 0.214]), WC (0.316 [0.217, 0.415]) and VAI (0.102 [0.075, 0.129]), with the largest weights from OM (53.89, 81.67, and 89.82%, respectively). The effects of PM 2.5 chemical constituents on obesity showed an overall upward trend from quantiles 1–4 of BMI, WC, and VAI, especially with a rapid upward trend from the sixth decile of VAI. Reduced PA mediated 3.16, 7.08, and 3.78% of the associations between PM 2.5 chemical constituents and elevated BMI, WC, and VAI, respectively. Conclusions Exposure to PM 2.5 chemical constituents, especially OM, was significantly associated with increased risks for obesity in adults. The effects of associations increased with obesity severity, with PA playing a mediation role.