Table 2.
Summary of short -term epidemiological studies that have combined health effects of air pollution and physical activity.
| Author | Year | Study Population | Location | Exposure length | Physical Activity (PA) | Air Pollutants | Outcome | Main findings |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kubesch et al. (2015a) | 2015a | 28 healthy adults | Barcelona (Spain) | 2-hours exposure in high and low TRAP1 environment | 15 min intervals alternating rest and cycling on a stationary bicycle | BC UFP NOx PM10 PM2.5 PMcoarse |
Systolic (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) | Evidence of an interaction for PA and PM10 and PMcoarse increasing SBP |
| Kubesch et al. (2015b) | 2015b | 28 healthy adults | Barcelona (Spain) | 2-hours exposure in high and low TRAP1 environment | 15 min intervals alternating rest and cycling on a stationary bicycle | BC UFP NOx PM10 PM2.5 PMcoarse |
Pulmonary function; systemic inflammation markers |
No statistically significant evidence of an interaction. |
| Cole-Hunter et al. (2016) | 2016 | 28 healthy adults | Barcelona (Spain) | 2-hours exposure in high and low TRAP1 environment | 15 min intervals alternating rest and cycling on a stationary bicycle | UFP BC PM2.5 |
Heart rate variability | PA reduced the negative impact of TRAP1 on heart rate variability in high TRAP site |
| Matt et al. (2016) | 2016 | 29 healthy adults | Barcelona (Spain) | 2-hours exposure in high and low TRAP1 environment | 15 min intervals alternating rest and cycling on a stationary bicycle | BC UFP NOx NO PM10 PM2.5 PMcoarse |
Respiratory function | PA reduced the negative impact of TRAPP1 on respiratory function. |
| Sinharay et al. (2018) | 2018 | + 60 yrs. with and without chronic lung or heart disease | London (United Kingdom) | 2-hours | Walk | BC NO2 PM10 PM2.5 UFP |
Cardiovascular and respiratory outcomes | Short term exposure to traffic pollution prevents the beneficial cardiopulmonary effects of walking for healthy individuals and individuals with ischemic heart diseases and COPD |
| Lovinsky-Desir et al. (2016) | 2016 | 129 children aged 9–14 years | New York City (United States) | 6 days | Moderate-to-vigorous physical activity | BC | Airway inflammation (FeNO) | Active children had less airway inflammation than non-active children, but primarily among children with lower personal BC exposure |
| Lovinsky-Desir et al. 2017 | 2017 | 135 children aged 9–14 years | New York City (United States) | 6 days | Moderate-to-vigorous physical activity | BC | FOXP3 promoter methylation | Among children with high personal BC exposure, active children had lower FOXP3 methylation than non-active children. No evidence of association between MVPA and FOXP3 methylation among children with low personal BC concentration |
| Laeremans et al. (2018a) | 2018a | 122 healthy adults | Antwerp (Belgium), Barcelona (Spain), London (United Kingdom) | 24 h | Physical activity energy expenditure (MET-hours) | BC | Heart rate variability Retinal vessel diameters Airway inflammation (FeNO) Lung function |
No evidence of heart rate variability responses to physical activity, BC exposure or interaction was observed. FeNO and peak expiratory flow were detrimentally affected by BC regardless of PA levels |
| Laeremans et al.’s (2018b) | 2018b | 115 healthy adults | Antwerp (Belgium), Barcelona (Spain), London (United Kingdom) | 7 days | Physical activity energy expenditure (MET-hours) | BC | Lung function | Physical activity was associated with improved pulmonary function at low BC concentrations, but benefits decreased when BC concentrations increased |
TRAP - Traffic-related air pollution; FeNO - fractional exhaled nitric oxide.