Impacts of changes in environmental exposures and health behaviours due to the COVID-19 pandemic on cardiovascular and mental health: A comparison of Barcelona, Vienna, and Stockholm.
View / Open Files
Authors
Koch, Sarah
Khomenko, Sasha
Cirach, Marta
Ubalde-Lopez, Mònica
Baclet, Sacha
Daher, Carolyn
Hidalgo, Laura
Lõhmus, Mare
Rizzuto, Debora
Rumpler, Romain
Susilo, Yusak
Venkataraman, Siddharth
Wegener, Sandra
Wellenius, Gregory A
Nieuwenhuijsen, Mark
Publication Date
2022-03-29Journal Title
Environmental Pollution
ISSN
0269-7491
Publisher
Elsevier
Language
eng
Type
Article
This Version
VoR
Metadata
Show full item recordCitation
Koch, S., Khomenko, S., Cirach, M., Ubalde-Lopez, M., Baclet, S., Daher, C., Hidalgo, L., et al. (2022). Impacts of changes in environmental exposures and health behaviours due to the COVID-19 pandemic on cardiovascular and mental health: A comparison of Barcelona, Vienna, and Stockholm.. Environmental Pollution https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2022.119124
Abstract
Responses to COVID-19 altered environmental exposures and health behaviours associated with non-communicable diseases. We aimed to (1) quantify changes in nitrogen dioxide (NO2), noise, physical activity, and greenspace visits associated with COVID-19 policies in the spring of 2020 in Barcelona (Spain), Vienna (Austria), and Stockholm (Sweden), and (2) estimated the number of additional and prevented diagnoses of myocardial infarction (MI), stroke, depression, and anxiety based on these changes. We calculated differences in NO2, noise, physical activity, and greenspace visits between pre-pandemic (baseline) and pandemic (counterfactual) levels. With two counterfactual scenarios, we distinguished between Acute Period (March 15th - April 26th, 2020) and Deconfinement Period (May 2nd - June 30th, 2020) assuming counterfactual scenarios were extended for 12 months. Relative risks for each exposure difference were estimated with exposure-risk functions. In the Acute Period, reductions in NO2 (range of change from -16.9 μg/m3 to -1.1 μg/m3), noise (from -5 dB(A) to -2 dB(A)), physical activity (from -659 MET*min/wk to -183 MET*min/wk) and greenspace visits (from -20.2 h/m to 1.1 h/m) were largest in Barcelona and smallest in Stockholm. In the Deconfinement Period, NO2 (from -13.9 μg/m3 to -3.1 μg/m3), noise (from -3 dB(A) to -1 dB(A)), and physical activity levels (from -524 MET*min/wk to -83 MET*min/wk) remained below pre-pandemic levels in all cities. Greatest impacts were caused by physical activity reductions. If physical activity levels in Barcelona remained at Acute Period levels, increases in annual diagnoses for MI (mean: 572 (95% CI: 224, 943)), stroke (585 (6, 1156)), depression (7903 (5202, 10,936)), and anxiety (16,677 (926, 27,002)) would be anticipated. To decrease cardiovascular and mental health impacts, reductions in NO2 and noise from the first COVID-19 surge should be sustained, but without reducing physical activity. Focusing on cities' connectivity that promotes active transportation and reduces motor vehicle use assists in achieving this goal.
Keywords
Noise, Air pollution, Cardiovascular disease, Mental disorders, Physical Activity, Greenspace, Humans, Nitrogen Dioxide, Air Pollutants, Health Behavior, Mental Health, Cities, Air Pollution, Environmental Exposure, Particulate Matter, Stroke, Pandemics, COVID-19
Sponsorship
European Commission Horizon 2020 (H2020) ERC (817754)
Identifiers
35367103, PMC8967404
External DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2022.119124
This record's URL: https://www.repository.cam.ac.uk/handle/1810/336868
Statistics
Total file downloads (since January 2020). For more information on metrics see the
IRUS guide.
Recommended or similar items
The current recommendation prototype on the Apollo Repository will be turned off on 03 February 2023. Although the pilot has been fruitful for both parties, the service provider IKVA is focusing on horizon scanning products and so the recommender service can no longer be supported. We recognise the importance of recommender services in supporting research discovery and are evaluating offerings from other service providers. If you would like to offer feedback on this decision please contact us on: support@repository.cam.ac.uk