Impact of Light at Night and Air Pollution on Depression in Older Adults
Author Information
Author(s): So Rina, Gessa Giorgio Di, Scholes Shaun, Kim Su-Hwan, Park Yujin, Lee Jinkook, Adar Sara, Zaninotto Paola
Primary Institution: University College London
Hypothesis
Does long-term exposure to outdoor light at night and air pollution contribute to depressive symptoms among older people in England?
Conclusion
Higher levels of PM2.5 may be linked to an increased risk of depressive symptoms, while the effects of NO2 and light at night were explained by other factors.
Supporting Evidence
- Increased odds of depressive symptoms were observed for PM2.5 and NO2.
- The highest quantile of light at night was associated with a significant increase in depressive symptoms.
- Associations with NO2 and light at night were attenuated when controlling for confounding factors.
Takeaway
Being around more air pollution might make older people feel sadder, but the effects of light at night and some other pollution can be explained by other things in their lives.
Methodology
Data from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing was analyzed using mixed effects generalized linear models to assess the impact of air pollutants and light at night on depressive symptoms.
Limitations
The study's associations with NO2 and light at night were confounded by individual and area-level characteristics.
Participant Demographics
Participants were aged 50 years and older, with a total of 8,583 individuals contributing data.
Statistical Information
Confidence Interval
1.05, 1.25 for PM2.5; 1.10, 1.32 for NO2; 1.96, 3.12 for LAN
Statistical Significance
p<0.05
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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