Association between medium- to long-term ambient PM<sub>2.5</sub> exposure and overweight/obesity among primary and secondary school students

LUO Yuemei; ZHANG Dengcheng; QIN Yang; LU Wutao; JIANG Jianuo; CHEN Li; GUO Tongjun; MA Jun; DONG Yanhui; LI Yan

doi:10.16835/j.cnki.1000-9817.2025222

Volume 46 Issue 7

Jul. 2025

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Article Navigation > CHINESE JOURNAL OF SCHOOL HEALTH > 2025 > 46(7): 937-940

LUO Yuemei, ZHANG Dengcheng, QIN Yang, LU Wutao, JIANG Jianuo, CHEN Li, GUO Tongjun, MA Jun, DONG Yanhui, LI Yan. Association between medium- to long-term ambient PM2.5 exposure and overweight/obesity among primary and secondary school students[J]. CHINESE JOURNAL OF SCHOOL HEALTH, 2025, 46(7): 937-940. doi: 10.16835/j.cnki.1000-9817.2025222

Citation:

LUO Yuemei, ZHANG Dengcheng, QIN Yang, LU Wutao, JIANG Jianuo, CHEN Li, GUO Tongjun, MA Jun, DONG Yanhui, LI Yan. Association between medium- to long-term ambient PM_2.5 exposure and overweight/obesity among primary and secondary school students[J]. CHINESE JOURNAL OF SCHOOL HEALTH, 2025, 46(7): 937-940. doi: 10.16835/j.cnki.1000-9817.2025222

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Association between medium- to long-term ambient PM_2.5 exposure and overweight/obesity among primary and secondary school students

doi: 10.16835/j.cnki.1000-9817.2025222

1.
School Health Department, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Nanning 530028, China

Received Date: 2025-03-13
Rev Recd Date: 2025-07-01

Available Online: 2025-08-02

Publish Date: 2025-07-25

Abstract

Abstract

Objective To investigate the association between medium- to long-term PM_2.5 exposure around school areas and overweight/obesity among primary and secondary school students in Guangxi, providing data support and theoretical foundations for scientifically addressing overweight and obesity in primary and secondary school students. Methods From September to November 2023, a stratified cluster random sampling method was employed to select 251 183 students aged 7-18 years (grade 1 to grade 12) from 14 prefecture level cities (111 districts and counties) in Guangxi. PM_2.5 mass concentration data were obtained from the Tracking Air Pollution in China (TAP) dataset. Preliminary comparative analysis was conducted using the Mann-Whitney U test, while binary Logistic regression models were applied to quantify the relationship between PM_2.5 exposure and overweight/obesity. Restricted cubic spline analysis was further utilized to examine the nonlinear association between PM_2.5 concentration and overweight/obesity risk. Results The detection rate of overweight/obesity among Guangxi students in 2023 was 19.5%. The median PM_2.5 concentration in the year prior to the study was higher in the overweight/obesity group (23.22 μg/m³) compared to the non-overweight/obesity group (22.63 μg/m³) (Z=-15.66, P < 0.01), and consistent trends were observed across gender (male/female) and educational stage (primary/junior/senior high school) subgroups (all P < 0.01). Binary Logistic regression revealed that for every 10 μg/m³ increase in the annual average PM_2.5 concentration, the risk of overweight/obesity increased by 12% (OR=1.12, 95%CI=1.09-1.15, P < 0.01). Restricted cubic spline analysis indicated a nonlinear relationship between monthly PM_2.5 levels and overweight/obesity risk (P_trend < 0.01). Below 22.68 μg/m³, PM_2.5 exposure showed no significant association with obesity risk; above the threshold, the risk increased with rising PM_2.5 levels. Conclusion Medium- to long-term PM_2.5 exposure around school environments is significantly associated with overweight/obesity among primary and secondary school students.
- Particulate matter,
- Overweight,
- Obesity,
- Regression analysis,
- Students

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References(22)

References

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