Description
Air pollution has become a significant threat to many Asian countries. The rapid industrialization and urbanization in Asia has led to increased emissions from factories, power plants and vehicles. Almost 4 billion people i.e. 92% of the Asian and the pacific population are exposed to air pollution that posture a major risk to their health. Exposure to air pollution is associated with an increased risk of lower respiratory tract infection (LRTI) which includes acute bronchitis, acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease/chronic bronchitis (AECB), Pneumonia, and acute exacerbation of bronchiectasis in children. Quantification of health effects attributable to air pollution (PM2.5) is important in policy implications to tackle air pollution and associated health problems. This study aims to explore the relationship between air pollution and neonatal mortality embedded in acute respiratory infection by employing a fixed effect model to account for time-invariant country-specific factors. The analysis utilizes a comprehensive dataset spanning multiple years and most vulnerable Asian countries, incorporating key air quality indicator and neonatal mortality. The fixed effect model is chosen to control for unobservable country-specific characteristics that may influence neonatal mortality but remain constant over time. This approach enables a more robust examination of the specific impact of air pollution on neonatal deaths, while mitigating potential biases associated with time-invariant confounding variables. Empirical results show a positive relation between air pollution, temperature, and neonates’ deaths in the studied Asian countries. The results have also demonstrated negative impact of income and education while positive effect of population density on neonates’ deaths due to acute respiratory infection. Findings from this study contribute valuable insights to public health policymakers, guiding evidence-based interventions to reduce neonatal mortality associated with air pollution in Asian countries. As environmental issues continue to shape global health agendas, understanding the specific impact on vulnerable populations such as neonates becomes imperative for designing effective public health strategies.
| Contact Geneva Health Forum | I would like to receive information about the GHF 2024 conference and other GHF activities / Je souhaite recevoir des informations sur la conférence GHF 2024 et d'autres activités du GHF. |
|---|
