Effects of ambient air pollutants and environmental greenness on the incidence of pre-/hypertension in children and adolescents - Summary - MDSpire

Effects of ambient air pollutants and environmental greenness on the incidence of pre-/hypertension in children and adolescents

  • By

  • Maike Wolters

  • Rajini Nagrani

  • Nour Naaouf

  • Stefaan De Henauw

  • Lauren Lissner

  • Luis A Moreno

  • Dénes Molnár

  • Paola Russo

  • Tanja Vrijkotte

  • Wolfgang Ahrens

  • Claudia Börnhorst

  • on behalf of the IDEFICS/I.Family consortium

  • September 23, 2025

  • 0 min

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Objective:

To estimate long-term effects of air pollution and greenness on the incidence of pre-/hypertension in children and adolescents.

Key Findings:
  • Observed risk of developing pre-/hypertension was 14.4%.
  • Reducing PM2.5 to ≤10 μg/m3 lowered risk by −10.7 percentage points.
  • BC reductions showed a risk reduction of −5.3 percentage points.
  • NO2 reductions had small, non-significant effects.
  • Increasing NDVI to ≥0.6 lowered pre-/hypertension risk by −1.5 percentage points.
  • Effects were primarily on systolic blood pressure, not diastolic.
Interpretation:

Reducing air pollution, particularly PM2.5, and increasing environmental greenness can significantly lower the risk of developing high blood pressure in children and adolescents.

Limitations:
  • Evidence from previous studies on air pollution and hypertension is inconclusive.
  • The study relies on observational data, which may introduce bias.
Conclusion:

Efforts to reduce air pollution and enhance greenness are crucial for preventing hypertension in pediatric populations, potentially reducing future cardiovascular disease burden.

Original Source(s)

Effects of ambient air pollutants and environmental greenness on the incidence of pre-/hypertension in children and adolescents

  • by Maike Wolters, Rajini Nagrani, Nour Naaouf, Stefaan De Henauw, Lauren Lissner, Luis A Moreno, Dénes Molnár, Paola Russo, Tanja Vrijkotte, Wolfgang Ahrens, Claudia Börnhorst, on behalf of the IDEFICS/I.Family consortium

  • September 23, 2025

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