Association of midlife air pollution exposures and residential road proximity with incident dementia: The Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) study

Ziwei Song, Department of Epidemiology, Milken Institute School of Public Health, The George Washington University, Washington, DC, United States.
Katie Lynch, Department of Epidemiology, Milken Institute School of Public Health, The George Washington University, Washington, DC, United States.
Naa Adoley Parker-Allotey, Department of Epidemiology, Milken Institute School of Public Health, The George Washington University, Washington, DC, United States.
Erin E. Bennett, Department of Epidemiology, Milken Institute School of Public Health, The George Washington University, Washington, DC, United States.
Xiaohui Xu, School of Public Health, Texas A&M Health Science Center, College Station, TX, United States.
Eric A. Whitsel, Department of Epidemiology, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, United States; Department of Medicine, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, United States.
Richard Smith, Department of Statistics and Operations Research, College of Arts and Sciences, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, United States; Department of Biostatistics, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, United States.
James D. Stewart, Department of Epidemiology, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, United States.
Eun Sug Park, Texas A&M Transportation Institute, Texas A&M University System, College Station, TX, United States.
Qi Ying, Zachry Department of Civil Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843, United States.
Melinda C. Power, Department of Epidemiology, Milken Institute School of Public Health, The George Washington University, Washington, DC, United States. Electronic address: power@gwu.edu.

Document Type

Journal Article

Publication Date

6-13-2024

Journal

Environmental research

Volume

258

DOI

10.1016/j.envres.2024.119425

Keywords

ARIC cohort; Air pollution; Alzheimer's disease; Cognitive decline; Dementia

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Increasing evidence links higher air pollution exposures to increased risk of cognitive impairment. While midlife risk factors are often most strongly linked to dementia risk, few studies have considered associations between midlife roadway proximity or ambient air pollution exposure and incident dementia decades later, in late life. OBJECTIVES: Our objective was to determine if midlife exposures to ambient air pollution or roadway proximity are associated with increased risk of dementia in the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) study over up to 29 years of follow-up. METHODS: Our eligible sample included Black and White ARIC participants without dementia at Visit 2 (1990-1992). Participants were followed through Visit 7 (2018-2019), with dementia status and onset date defined based on formal dementia ascertainment at study visits, informant interviews, and surveillance efforts. We used adjusted Weibull survival models to assess the associations of midlife ambient air pollution and road proximity with incident dementia. RESULTS: The median age at baseline (1990-1992, Visit 2) of the 12,700 eligible ARIC participants was 57.0 years; 56.0% were female, 24.2% were Black, and 78.9% had at least a high school education. Over up to 29 years of follow-up, 2511 (19.8%) persons developed dementia. No associations were found between ambient air pollutants and proximity to major roadways with risk of incident dementia. In exploratory analyses, living closer to roadways in midlife increased dementia risk in individuals younger at baseline and those without midlife hypertension, and there was evidence of increased risk of dementia with increased midlife exposure to NO, several PM components, and trace metals among those with diabetes in midlife. CONCLUSIONS: Midlife exposure to ambient air pollution and midlife roadway proximity was not associated with dementia risk over decades of follow-up. Further investigation to explore potential for greater susceptibility among specific subgroups identified here is needed.

Department

Epidemiology

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