Publications

INTRODUCTION: Pollution (PM(2.5)) exposure can result in acute respiratory illness (ARI) and anaemia in children. We aimed to investigate if antioxidant  nutrient intakes could mitigate the impact of PM(2.5) on child health outcomes on  a national scale in India. METHODS: We triangulated satellite-derived PM(2.5)  exposure data at the primary sampling unit level, with ARI and anaemia prevalence  data from national district-level survey, and antioxidant nutrient intakes from  household food expenditure survey. Logistic mixed effects regression model was  used to estimate the effect of PM(2.5) at different levels of nutrient intake.  RESULTS: This study included 208,782 children with valid ARI and 197,289 children  with valid hemoglobin measurements. The prevalence of ARI and anaemia were 2.8%  (95% CI: 2.3, 3.2) and 57.6% (95% CI: 57.2, 57.9) respectively. The intake of  selected antioxidant nutrients such as vitamin C, D, and selenium, when higher  than their estimated average requirement (EAR), lowered the risk of ARI  associated with high PM(2.5) exposure, while intakes higher than the EAR of  vitamins A, C, D, zinc, and selenium similarly lowered the risk of anaemia. In  terms of foods, similar benefits were observed with daily consumption of small  amounts of fruits and vegetables. CONCLUSION: The result of this study highlights  the importance of antioxidant rich balance diet for neutralizing adverse health  effects of air pollution exposure to some extent till the environmental policy of  the country could reduce emission of hazardous pollutants below safe level for  human health.