Association of climate factors and air pollutants with pneumonia incidence in Lampang province, Thailand: findings from a 12-year longitudinal study

ABSTRACT

This study attempted to understand the associations between pneumonia, climate, and environmental air pollutants in Thailand. A 12-year longitudinal study was performed between 2003 and 2014 in Lampang province, the Northern region of Thailand. Spearman correlation and negative binomial regression modelling were used to explore the relationships between climate factors and environmental air pollutants and pneumonia incidence. Spearman correlation shows that pneumonia incidence was positively correlated with humidity and negatively correlated with temperature, NO₂, and O₃. The regression modelling produced a series of models to predict pneumonia incidence based on information on climate and air quality. The result of the models shows that humidity and PM₁₀ were associated with pneumonia incidence. To better protect the health, public health policy and risk assessment approach for pneumonia incidence should include considerations of the effect of air pollution. This result can be used for further intervention to take care of human health.

KEYWORDS:

• Pneumonia
• air pollutants
• respiratory disease
• negative binomial

Conflict of interest

This manuscript has not been published and is not under consideration for publication elsewhere. We have no conflicts of interest.

Additional information

Funding

This research was supported by Mahidol University [Postdoctoral Fellowship Program].