Is air pollution harder on older women’s cognition than men’s?
In 1,484 Koreans aged ≥55, higher PM10 and coarse PM were linked to worse MMSE more in women than men; NO2 harm was also larger in women, especially outside metros.
Source
Gender Difference in the Effects of Outdoor Air Pollution on Cognitive Function Among Elderly in Korea
Study at a glance
- Design
- Cross-sectional — Cross-sectional Korean elderly sample relating 5-year PM10/NO2 and 2015 PM2.5 to MMSE, with gender and metropolitan-status modification.
- N
- N=1484 · 1,484 adults ≥55 without neurologic disease (569 men, 915 women) from Seoul, Incheon, Pyeongchang, and Wonju.
- Population
- Community-dwelling older adults in four Korean regions, free of neurologic disease.
- Outcome
- Cognitive decline defined by MMSE with conventional 23–24 cut-off, and continuous MMSE, by pollutant and gender.
Structured fields used in claim comparison tables when every cited study has a complete layer.
What they did
Recruited 1,484 people ≥55 without neurologic disease from four regions, scored MMSE, assigned 5-year predicted PM10 and NO2 plus 2015 PM2.5, and modelled gender modification with penalized logistic, negative binomial, and mixed models.
What they found
Women had higher mean PM10 (46.56 vs 45.09 μg/m³) and more cognitive impairment (10.27% vs 5.62%). Adjusted ORs for women vs men were 1.01 per PM10 and 1.03 per PM2.5–10. NO2 ORs were 1.02 in metros and 1.12 in non-metros.
The limits
What it doesn't show
A cross-section cannot prove pollution caused the MMSE gap; exposure models and a 23–24 MMSE cut-off are coarse, and authors called the gender finding tentative.
Key terms
- MMSE
- Mini-Mental State Examination; cognitive decline used the conventional 23–24 cut-off.
- PM10
- Particulate matter <10 μm; 5-year predicted average exposure.
- PM2.5−10
- Coarse fraction between 2.5 and 10 μm.
- NO2
- Nitrogen dioxide; gender gap was clearer after metropolitan vs non-metropolitan split.
- Effect modification
- Whether the pollution–cognition association differs by gender (and by metro status).
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Common questions
How large was the sample?
1,484 people aged ≥55 (569 men, 915 women).
Which pollutants showed a female excess risk?
PM10 and PM2.5−10 overall; NO2 after metro stratification.
Was impairment more common in women?
Yes—10.27% vs 5.62% in men.
Where was the NO2 gender gap larger?
Non-metropolitan regions (OR 1.12 vs 1.02 in metros).
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