BACKGROUND: Building upon new research in environmental health on “obesogens”, this anaylsis examines the association between airborne exposure to endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) and adult obesity prevalence in 50 U.S. metropolitan areas.
METHODS: Cross-sectional health data from adults 18 years or older residing in one of 50 Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs) was linked to published annual air pollution exposure data for 2005. Associations between socioeconomic status, race/ethnicity, exposure to ambient endocrine disruption chemical air pollution, and body weight (measured by body mass index(BMI)) in the 50 MSAs were examined using logistic regression models. Regression models were further stratified by age and gender to account for the strong associations between weight, age, and gender consistently found in previous research.
RESULTS: . After adjusting for confounding factors associated with socioeconomic status, race/ethnicity, and health behaviors such as tobacco smoking, significant associations between concentrations of air pollution and being overweight (BMI between 25-30) was significant for women over the age of 50 years only. For men, a statistical significant relationship between air pollution exposure and being underweight (BMI<25) existed for men younger than 50. These analyses yielded non-significant findings for associations between air pollution exposure and obesity (BMI>30) prevalence for both men and women.
CONCLUSIONS: These findings highlight the complex relationship between air pollution exposure and weight; reveling that air pollution exposure likely affects the body’s metabolic system responsible for weight maintenance differently in men and women and at different ages throughout the life course.