Population‐Based Study of Traffic‐Related Air Pollution and Obesity in Mexican Americans

Abstract

Objective The purpose of this study was to assess the cross‐sectional association between residential exposure to traffic‐related air pollution and obesity in Mexican American adults. Methods A total of 7,826 self‐reported Mexican Americans aged 20 to 60 years old were selected from the baseline survey of the MD Anderson Mano‐a‐Mano Mexican American Cohort. Concentrations of traffic‐related particulate matter with aerodynamic diameter < 2.5 μm were modeled at geocoded residential addresses using a dispersion models. The residential proximity to the nearest major road was calculated using a Geographic Information System. Linear and logistic regression models were used to estimate the adjusted associations between exposure and obesity, defined as BMI ≥ 30. Results More than half (53.6%) of the study participants had BMI ≥ 30, with a higher prevalence in women (55.0%) than in men (48.8%). Overall higher traffic‐related air pollution exposures were associated with lower BMI in men but higher BMI in women. By stratifying for those who lived in a 0‐ to 1,500‐m road buffer, the one‐interquartile‐range (685.1 m) increase of distance to a major road had a significant association with a 0.58‐kg/m² lower BMI (95% CI: −0.92 to −0.24) in women. Conclusions Exposure to intensive traffic is associated with increased risk of obesity in Mexican American women.