Air Pollution’s Hidden Toll
Links Between Ozone, Particulate Matter, and Adolescent Depression
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 15475301 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Megan Waxman (0009-0008-6453-8164, University of Denver, corresponding author), Erika M Manczak (0000-0001-8990-9357, University of Denver), Erika Manczak (University of Denver) |
| Year | 2024 |
| Volume | 21 |
| Issue | 12 |
| Pages | 1663-1663 |
| Publication date | 2024-12-13 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1661-7827 • E-ISSN: 1660-4601 |
| Publisher | Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute (PUBLISHER • CH) |
| DOI | 10.3390/ijerph21121663 |
| PMID | 39767502 |
| OpenAlex | W4405378624 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 55 |
Rising rates of depression among youth present a growing mental health crisis. Despite growing concerns regarding the risks of air pollution exposure on youth mental and physical health, associations between ambient air pollutants and depression have been largely overlooked in youth. In this cross-sectional study, we investigated associations between ozone, particulate matter, and depressive symptoms in adolescents across 224 Colorado census tracts (average age of 14.45 years, 48.8% female, 48.9% of minority race/ethnicity). Students in participating schools reported depressive symptoms and demographic information, and school addresses were used to compute ozone and particulate matter levels per census tract. Possible confounding variables, including sociodemographic and geographic characteristics, were also addressed. Exploratory analyses examined demographic moderators of these associations. Census tracts with higher ozone concentrations had a higher percentage of adolescents experiencing depressive symptoms. Particulate matter did not emerge as a significant predictor of adolescent depressive symptoms. Secondary analyses demonstrated that associations with ozone were moderated by racial/ethnic and gender compositions of census tracts, with stronger effects in census tracts with higher percentages of individuals with marginalized racial/ethnic and gender identities. Ultimately, this project strengthens our understanding of the interplay between air pollution exposures and mental health during adolescence
Air pollution · Census · Confounding · Depression (economics · Environmental health · Ethnic group · Geography · Mental health · Particulates · Political science · Population · Psychiatry · Sociology · Air Quality and Health Impacts · Climate Change and Health Impacts · Demography · Medicine · Psychological and Temporal Perspectives Research · Psychology · Ecology
Prevalence of Depression Among Adolescents in the U.S. From 2009 to 2019
Youth and Caregiver Perspectives on Barriers to Gender-Affirming Health Care for Transgender Youth
Race/ethnicity and internalizing disorders in youth
Global prevalence of depression and elevated depressive symptoms among adolescents
Long-term air pollution exposure and cardio- respiratory mortality
Recent increases in depressive symptoms among US adolescents
Adolescence as a Sensitive Period of Brain Development
Barriers and Facilitators for Mental Health Service Use Among Racial/Ethnic Minority Adolescents
Population density and urban air quality
Changes in summertime ozone in Colorado during 2000–2015
Living environment and its relationship to depressive mood
Understanding the Interplay between Air Pollution, Biological Variables, and Major Depressive Disorder
Race/Ethnicity, Residential Segregation, and Exposure to Ambient Air Pollution
Census tract ambient ozone predicts trajectories of depressive symptoms in adolescents
| Highly cited | No |
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