Association between ambient PM2.5 and children’s hospital admissions for respiratory diseases in Jinan, China

To determine the association between daily air pollution and the hospital admissions for respiratory diseases in children aged from 0 to 17 years in Jinan, China. Generalized linear models were used to explore the acute effects of ambient fine particulate matter (PM2.5) on the children’s hospital admissions for respiratory diseases. We evaluated the lag associations (including lag 0 to lag 3, lag 01, and lag 03) between daily PM2.5 and the number of children’s hospital admissions for respiratory diseases, and stratified by gender, age group (baby group: age 0–1 years; child group: age 1–5 years; student group: age 6–17 years), and cause-specific disease (including upper infection, pneumonia, and acute bronchitis) during 2011–2015. PM2.5 had significant positive impacts on the number of children’s hospital admissions for respiratory disease. The results showed that per 10 μg/m3 increase of PM2.5 at lag 1 was associated with an increase in total and male hospital admissions of 0.23% (95% CI, 0.02%–0.45%) and 0.32% (95% CI, 0.04%–0.06%). The corresponding risk of the student group (age 6–17 years) hospital admissions was increased 0.90% (95% CI, 0.39%–1.42%) at lag 1 day. The corresponding risk of the upper infection was increased 0.96% (95% CI, 0.37–1.55%) at lag 1 day. Males and student groups (age 6–17 years) were more vulnerable to PM2.5 exposure. Upper infection admission was identified as the sensitive disease for children. It is a better way to reduce children’s outdoor activities to avoid health effects when the air pollution increases.