The Long Arm of Childhood: The Heterogeneous Associations between Early-Life Indoor Air Pollution Exposure and Cognitive Health in Old Age

Xu Zong, University of Helsinki

A large number of poor people all over the world rely on solid fuels for cooking, directly bringing exposure to indoor air pollution. This exposure has been linked to decreased cognitive health in later life. However, relatively little is known about the long-term effects of early-life indoor air pollution exposure and how this association varies in different population groups. This study used nationally representative data of 7,033 adults aged 45+ in China. Causal forest approach was applied to capture the complex nonlinear relationships and estimate the average treatment effect (ATE) of early-life indoor air pollution exposure on late-life cognitive health. The results demonstrated that, early-life indoor air pollution exposure was associated with poorer late-life cognitive health, with an ATE of -0.67 and a 95% confidence interval of [-0.69, -0.65]. We also found this exposure significantly associated with worsen performance of episodic memory but has no significant effects on mental intactness. The CATE analysis further revealed that subgroups aged 45-59, males, individuals with higher education levels, those living in Eastern China and urban areas, married and partnered individuals, and those with poorer later-life self-reported health were more vulnerable to the detrimental long-term cognitive health effects of early-life indoor air pollution exposure.

Keywords: Population, Environment, and Climate Change, Data and Methods, Health and Morbidity, Population Ageing

See paper.