Association between household and outdoor air pollution and risk for metabolic syndrome among women in Beijing, China

This study explored whether household and outdoor air pollution is associated with a greater risk for metabolic syndrome (MetS) among women. In all 11,860 women who cooked with clean energy were included in the analysis. Cooking frequency, range hood use during cooking, passive smoking exposure, and solid fuel use for heating were used to represent household air pollution. The 2-year average concentration of PM2.5, and face mask usage were used to reflect outdoor air pollution exposure. An index of air pollution exposure was also constructed. Multivariable logistic regression models were used to estimate the association between air pollution and risk for MetS, and a positive correlation was found. Our results indicated that household cooking used clean energy and exposure to a high level of outdoor PM2.5 without face mask usage may contribute to an increased risk for MetS among women.