AUTHOR=Zhang Mengnan , Bai Yu , Hu Junyi , Ni Yang , Zeng Qiang 

TITLE=An Improved Air Health Index Based on Short-Term Cardiovascular Effects in Tianjin, China

JOURNAL=International Journal of Public Health

VOLUME=69

YEAR=2024

URL=https://www.ssph-journal.org/journals/international-journal-of-public-health/articles/10.3389/ijph.2024.1607214

DOI=10.3389/ijph.2024.1607214

ISSN=1661-8564

ABSTRACT=<sec><title>Objectives</title><p>To construct an improved air health index (AHI) based on cardiovascular years of life lost (YLL) in Tianjin and assess its utility.</p></sec><sec><title>Methods</title><p>We derived the exposure-response coefficients from time-series models and calculated the excess YLL (EYLL) for simultaneous exposure to air pollution and non-optimum temperature. The AHI was developed using the EYLL at the WHO 2021 Air Quality Guideline annual mean values and optimum temperature as a reference. We assessed the validity of AHI by comparing the correlations and model fit between the AHI, air quality health index (AQHI), and air quality index (AQI) with cause-specific YLLs.</p></sec><sec><title>Results</title><p>Each inter quartile range (<italic>IQR</italic>) increase in AHI was associated with 256.31 (95%<italic>CI</italic>: 183.05, 329.57), 150.34 (95%<italic>CI</italic>: 108.23, 192.46), 90.41 (95%<italic>CI</italic>: 64.80, 116.02) and 60.80 (95%<italic>CI</italic>:33.41, 88.18) person-year increments for non-accidental, cardiovascular, ischaemic, and cerebrovascular YLL, respectively. The AHI, in contrast to the AQHI and AQI, showed the strongest correlations with the risks of cause-specific YLLs, both in the total population and subpopulations.</p></sec><sec><title>Conclusion</title><p>The AHI based on cardiovascular YLL has a greater predictive ability for health risks.</p></sec>