ArticleBMC public health2025
Long-term exposure to fine particulate matter and its constituents is related to self-reported visual impairment among middle-aged and older adults: a longitudinal study in China.
Article in BMC public health, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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Who cites it
1 citing paper in PubMed.
- Associations of Social Determinants of Health Scores with Visual Impairment and Premature Death in Visually Impaired Adults: Insights from CHARLS-A Cohort Study.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
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6 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundVisual impairment (VI) poses an increasing global health burden, yet the long-term effects of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) constituents on VI remain unclear. This study aimed to evaluate associations between long-term exposure to PM2.5 and its constituents and the risk of VI.
methodsWe used data from the nationally representative China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS, 2011–2018) including adults aged ≥ 45 years. Long-term exposure to PM2.5 and its constituents (SO42–, NO3–, NH4+, organic matter (OM), and black carbon (BC)) was obtained from the Tracking Air Pollution in China dataset and linked to participants’ residential cities. The 3-year moving average concentration was used as the primary exposure metric to capture cumulative effects, while the 1-year average concentration was applied for sensitivity analysis. VI was defined as self-reported fair or poor vision. Associations were estimated using time-dependent Cox models, with restricted cubic spline (RCS), stratified and interaction analyses to assess nonlinear and subgroup effects.
resultsOver 27,443 person-years of follow-up, 3,736 participants developed VI. Per interquartile range (IQR) increase in 3-year moving average concentrations, higher risks of VI were observed for PM2.5 (HR = 1.09, 95% CI: 1.03–1.15), SO42– (HR = 1.13, 95% CI: 1.05–1.22), NO3– (HR = 1.06, 95% CI: 1.00–1.13), NH4+ (HR = 1.09, 95% CI: 1.02–1.17), OM (HR = 95% CI: 1.15, 1.07–1.24), and BC (HR = 1.24, 95% CI: 1.14–1.34). RCS analysis revealed non-linear associations for PM2.5, NO3–, NH4+, and OM, whereas SO42– and BC showed approximately linear trends. Associations were more pronounced among older adults (> 60 years old), smokers, and those with hypertension.
conclusionLong-term exposure to PM2.5 and its constituents significantly increases the risk of VI among middle-aged and older adults in China, highlighting the need for targeted environmental health policies.
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