Less air pollution and more access to green or blue spaces: A recipe to improve the life quality of people with COPD

Date:
September 2, 2021
Source:
Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal)
Summary:
A new study evaluates the association between a series of
environmental factors and disease effects in over 400 patients.



FULL STORY ==========================================================================
Air pollution and greater distance with green of blue spaces negatively
impact the health-related quality of life in patients with chronic
obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), according to a new study led by
the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal), an institution
supported by "la Caixa" Foundation. The findings highlight the need for implementing urban policies that improve the life quality of a great
number of people living with respiratory diseases across the world.


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The health-related quality of life has become one of the most relevant parameters to measure the progression of chronic obstructive pulmonary
disease (COPD). "We know that several clinical and psychological
factors can affect this parameter, but little is known on the effect
of environmental factors," explains Judith Garcia-Aymerich, ISGlobal researcher. Thus, Garcia-Aymerich and her team assessed, for the
first time, the association between health-related quality of life and
exposure to different environmental factors in over 400 COPD patients
with different levels of disease severity, from moderate to high.

The patients, all of them residing in Barcelona, underwent a COPD
assessment test and answered a clinical questionnaire. The research team determined the residential exposure of each patient to air pollutants
(NO2, PM2.5 and PM10 fine particles, and PM2.5 absorbance), traffic
noise, land surface temperatures, and distance to green or blue (water)
spaces. They found that exposure to high levels of NO2 and PM2.5
absorbance (an indicator of black carbon emanating from combustion)
were associated with worse assessment and mental health questionnaire
scores. "This might be explained by the restorative effect of blue and
green spaces, although it could also be related to the fact that these
spaces encourage greater physical activity," says Subhabrata Moitra,
first author of the study.

The authors acknowledge that, being a cross-sectional study rather
than a longitudinal one, they cannot demonstrate causality, and that
further studies are needed to better understand the contribution of
each pollutant. "However, this study, performed for the first time
on a Mediterranean population, provides evidence that air pollutants (particularly NO2 and black carbon) and the distance to green or blue
spaces negatively affects the health-related quality of life in COPD
patients," says Garcia-Aymerich.

These results can help clinicians to provide recommendations that
improve the quality of life of their COPD patients, for example by
avoiding traffic zones or being close to blue and green spaces. They
also underline the need to limit air pollution in cities and redefine
urban policies that improve the quality of life of the great number of
people who live with respiratory diseases across the world.

These findings are published shortly before the celebration of the
European Respiratory Society Congress 2021, which will take place
virtually September 5- 8.

========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by Barcelona_Institute_for_Global_Health_(ISGlobal). Note: Content may be
edited for style and length.


========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. Subhabrata Moitra, Maria Foraster, Ane Arbillaga-Etxarri, Alicia
Mari'n,
Anael Barberan-Garcia, Diego A. Rodri'guez-Chiaradia, Eva Balcells,
Maria Koreny, Pere Tora'n-Monserrat, Pere Vall-Casas, Robert
Rodri'guez-Roisin, Judith Garcia-Aymerich. Roles of the physical
environment in health- related quality of life in patients with
chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Environmental Research,
2022; 203: 111828 DOI: 10.1016/ j.envres.2021.111828 ==========================================================================

Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/09/210902125034.htm

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