Effects of exercise therapy on quality of life in patients with inflammatory bowel disease: a network meta-analysis.
Authors: Yan Z, Zhi J, Zhao L, Wang S, Ye K, Yin M, Zhang S
Journal: Frontiers in physiology
mental health
psychology
open access
Abstract
Fine particulate matter (PM) poses significant health burdens even at low concentrations, driving a global re-evaluation of PM standards for effective pollution control and management (Shi
). With a diameter smaller than 2.5 m, PM can reach the alveoli of the lungs and enter the bloodstream, impairing pulmonary and cardiovascular function and increasing the risk of premature mortality (Manisalidis
). Recent studies also revealed acute and chronic impacts of PM exposure on mental health outcomes (Lee
, Roberts
). In Canada, PM is one of the criteria air contaminants (Statistics Canada ). The Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment (CCME) developed the Canadian Ambient Air Quality Standards (CAAQS) in 2012 as an objective for air quality management, and is lowering the annual average limit for PM from 8.8 g m to 8 g m in 2030 (Canada, Department of the Environment and Department of Health ). The government has released the 2030 Emissions Reduction Plan in 2022 (Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) ). Measurements from monitors are important for tracking progress towards new air quality goals, especially considering vulnerability across communities and populations. Therefore, identifying the spatial PM monitoring disparities is crucial and will inform population health risk from air pollution exposure. Eastern Canada, comprising Ontario, Quebec, and the Atlantic provinces of New Brunswick (NB), Newfoundland and Labrador (NL), Nova Scotia (NS), and Prince Edward Island (PEI), is home to nearly half of the country’s population, most of which is concentrated within the Quebec City–Windsor Corridor (Statistics Canada ). Consequently, this region experiences persistently high ambient air pollution from both traffic and industrial activities (Environment and Climate Change Canada and United States Environmental Protection Agency ). Moreover, PM can originate from direct fuel combustion and secondarily from gaseous precursors that can then disperse over long distances and affect rural areas depending on atmospheric conditions (Brook
, Zhang
). Although the Atlantic provinces generally have lower PM than Ontario and Quebec (Fuller-Thomson
), their higher proportions of vulnerable populations, including older adults and people with disabilities (Statistics Canada , ), may offset the public health benefits of lower exposure. Evaluating PM monitoring in this region demands proper attention when considering both emissions sources and health equity. However, achieving extensive ground-level PM coverage is challenging due to cost and resource constraints. This has led to the deployment of ‘gold-standard’ federal equivalent method (FEM) monitors being primarily concentrated in urban areas and near major industrial sources, with only a few FEM monitors in remote regions measuring background or land-use specific concentrations (Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment (CCME) ). Despite denser emissions sources in cities, a Canadian study found that rural and suburban areas could experience PM levels that were only about 20% lower than nearby urban centres (Wang
). This suggests that regulatory monitoring focus on urban sites may overlook risks elsewhere. More recently, low-cost sensors have emerged to help fill these monitoring gaps, offering accessible, real-time data for more remote communities. Findings from the U.S. suggested areas with higher poverty, unemployment, and racial minority populations had lower access to FEM monitors or low-cost PM sensors (deSouza and Kinney , Sun
, Kelly
, Wang
, Haskell-Craig
). However, disparities in monitor distribution remain under-explored in Canada. Previous studies focused on disparities associated with PM concentrations, showing that lower-income, visible minority, education-marginalized groups, as well as high-risk occupations, could experience higher PM exposure at provincial scales (Kirby-McGregor
), and also tended to live closer to intra-urban traffic pollution sources (Carrier
). Community disparities in healthcare accessibility were also documented in Canada, especially the unmet demand of primary care providers for people with disabilities (Lavergne
, Wenghofer and Ransom , Pucchio
). Adding to these, our study brings air pollution monitor capacity to the context. Therefore, this study aims to evaluate the spatial coverage in PM monitoring through integrating data from FEM stations and low-cost sensors in eastern Canada under the context of 2030 CAAQS update, and to understand its relationship with neighbourhood socio-economic status (SES) and health vulnerability. We focus on two main questions:
). With a diameter smaller than 2.5 m, PM can reach the alveoli of the lungs and enter the bloodstream, impairing pulmonary and cardiovascular function and increasing the risk of premature mortality (Manisalidis
). Recent studies also revealed acute and chronic impacts of PM exposure on mental health outcomes (Lee
, Roberts
). In Canada, PM is one of the criteria air contaminants (Statistics Canada ). The Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment (CCME) developed the Canadian Ambient Air Quality Standards (CAAQS) in 2012 as an objective for air quality management, and is lowering the annual average limit for PM from 8.8 g m to 8 g m in 2030 (Canada, Department of the Environment and Department of Health ). The government has released the 2030 Emissions Reduction Plan in 2022 (Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) ). Measurements from monitors are important for tracking progress towards new air quality goals, especially considering vulnerability across communities and populations. Therefore, identifying the spatial PM monitoring disparities is crucial and will inform population health risk from air pollution exposure. Eastern Canada, comprising Ontario, Quebec, and the Atlantic provinces of New Brunswick (NB), Newfoundland and Labrador (NL), Nova Scotia (NS), and Prince Edward Island (PEI), is home to nearly half of the country’s population, most of which is concentrated within the Quebec City–Windsor Corridor (Statistics Canada ). Consequently, this region experiences persistently high ambient air pollution from both traffic and industrial activities (Environment and Climate Change Canada and United States Environmental Protection Agency ). Moreover, PM can originate from direct fuel combustion and secondarily from gaseous precursors that can then disperse over long distances and affect rural areas depending on atmospheric conditions (Brook
, Zhang
). Although the Atlantic provinces generally have lower PM than Ontario and Quebec (Fuller-Thomson
), their higher proportions of vulnerable populations, including older adults and people with disabilities (Statistics Canada , ), may offset the public health benefits of lower exposure. Evaluating PM monitoring in this region demands proper attention when considering both emissions sources and health equity. However, achieving extensive ground-level PM coverage is challenging due to cost and resource constraints. This has led to the deployment of ‘gold-standard’ federal equivalent method (FEM) monitors being primarily concentrated in urban areas and near major industrial sources, with only a few FEM monitors in remote regions measuring background or land-use specific concentrations (Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment (CCME) ). Despite denser emissions sources in cities, a Canadian study found that rural and suburban areas could experience PM levels that were only about 20% lower than nearby urban centres (Wang
). This suggests that regulatory monitoring focus on urban sites may overlook risks elsewhere. More recently, low-cost sensors have emerged to help fill these monitoring gaps, offering accessible, real-time data for more remote communities. Findings from the U.S. suggested areas with higher poverty, unemployment, and racial minority populations had lower access to FEM monitors or low-cost PM sensors (deSouza and Kinney , Sun
, Kelly
, Wang
, Haskell-Craig
). However, disparities in monitor distribution remain under-explored in Canada. Previous studies focused on disparities associated with PM concentrations, showing that lower-income, visible minority, education-marginalized groups, as well as high-risk occupations, could experience higher PM exposure at provincial scales (Kirby-McGregor
), and also tended to live closer to intra-urban traffic pollution sources (Carrier
). Community disparities in healthcare accessibility were also documented in Canada, especially the unmet demand of primary care providers for people with disabilities (Lavergne
, Wenghofer and Ransom , Pucchio
). Adding to these, our study brings air pollution monitor capacity to the context. Therefore, this study aims to evaluate the spatial coverage in PM monitoring through integrating data from FEM stations and low-cost sensors in eastern Canada under the context of 2030 CAAQS update, and to understand its relationship with neighbourhood socio-economic status (SES) and health vulnerability. We focus on two main questions: