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. 2019 Sep 11;16(18):3362.
doi: 10.3390/ijerph16183362.

The Association between Air Pollution and Sleep Duration: A Cohort Study of Freshmen at a University in Beijing, China

Hongjun Yu  1 , Panpan Chen  2 , Shelby Paige Gordon  3 , Miao Yu  4 , Yangyang Wang  5
Affiliations

The Association between Air Pollution and Sleep Duration: A Cohort Study of Freshmen at a University in Beijing, China

Hongjun Yu et al. Int J Environ Res Public Health. .

Abstract

Background: Rising levels of air pollution in Beijing, China have become a serious environmental issue affecting human health, and young adults are experiencing high rates of insufficient sleep duration or a lack of sleep. Gaps in previous research remain regarding the relationship between air pollution and sleep duration among young adults. The purpose of this study is to assess the associations between air pollution and sleep duration among college students living in Beijing, China. Methods: We conducted follow-up health surveys on 16,889 freshman students enrolled at Tsinghua University over a five-year study period (2013-2018). Sleep duration was measured using the Chinese version of the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (CPSQI), which has been validated in China to measure sleep duration. Corresponding levels of the average hourly air quality index (AQI), PM2.5 (µg/m3), PM10 (µg/m3), and NO2 (µg/m3) were gathered from data provided by the Beijing Municipal Ecological Environment Bureau in a closed site at Tsinghua University. Multilevel mixed-effects linear regression models were used to analyze the data. Results: One standard deviation increase in air pollution concentration in AQI, PM2.5, PM10, and NO2 was associated with a reduction in daily hours of sleep by 0.68 (95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.63, 0.73), 0.55 (95% CI = 0.51, 0.59), 0.70 (95% CI = 0.64, 0.76), and 0.51 (95% CI = 0.47, 0.54), respectively. Conclusions: Air pollution was associated with a reduction in sleep duration among freshman students living in Beijing, China. Replication of this study is warranted among various populations within China.

Keywords: AQI; air pollution; fine particulate matter; sleep duration; youth.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Study sample flowchart.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Trend for sleep in last week and air quality index (AQI) concentration among the freshman cohort. Survey time 1: 2013–2014 cohort (9–15 Dec); 2: 2013–2014 cohort (5–11 May); 3: 2014–2015 cohort (6–12 Oct); 4: 2014–2015 cohort (24 Feb–2 Mar); 5: 2014–2015 cohort (4–10 May); 6: 2015–2016 cohort (14–20 Sep); 7: 2015–2016 cohort (2–8 May); 8: 2016–2017 cohort (21–27 Nov); 9: 2016–2017 cohort (15–21 May); 10: 2017–2018 cohort (13–19 Nov); 11: 2017–2018 cohort (30 Apr–6 May).
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