Association of PM2.5 chemical constituents with general, abdominal and visceral obesity and mediation roles of physical activity

Background

The association between exposure to PM_2.5 chemical constituents and obesity remains to be elucidated, as most studies have used a single measure of obesity. This study aimed to investigate the associations of exposure to PM_2.5 chemical constituents with general, abdominal, and visceral obesity, and the mediation effect of physical activity (PA) in the associations.

Methods

Based on a total of 49,819 adults from the baseline of the Yunnan Behavior and Disease Surveillance cohort (YBDS) in southern China in 2021, we used multiple linear regression, weighted quantile sum regression, and quantile regression to estimate independent and joint effects of PM_2.5 chemical constituents on elevated BMI, waist circumference (WC) and visceral adiposity index (VAI) and whether these effects changed in quantiles. Mediation analysis was used to examine whether physical activity acts as a mediator in these pathways.

Results

Per IQR μg/m³ increase in all PM_2.5 chemical constituents was significantly associated with the elevated BMI (β [95% CI]: 0.170 [0.127, 0.214]), WC (0.316 [0.217, 0.415]) and VAI (0.102 [0.075, 0.129]), with the largest weights from OM (53.89, 81.67, and 89.82%, respectively). The effects of PM_2.5 chemical constituents on obesity showed an overall upward trend from quantiles 1–4 of BMI, WC, and VAI, especially with a rapid upward trend from the sixth decile of VAI. Reduced PA mediated 3.16, 7.08, and 3.78% of the associations between PM_2.5 chemical constituents and elevated BMI, WC, and VAI, respectively.

Conclusions

Exposure to PM_2.5 chemical constituents, especially OM, was significantly associated with increased risks for obesity in adults. The effects of associations increased with obesity severity, with PA playing a mediation role.