Breathing Clean Air, Remembering Better: A Cross-Regional Study of Air Quality and Episodic Memory in European Older Adults

Air quality is a critical environmental concern that poses significant health risks to populations worldwide. Therefore, the impact of air pollution on the cognitive health of older adults has gained attention as an urgent global concern. This study addresses a critical research gap by investigating the association between air pollution, specifically particulate matter PM10 and PM2.5, and cognitive functioning in older adults across various European regions.
Using data from the Survey of Health, Ageing, and Retirement in Europe (SHARE), a comprehensive panel study on health and aging as well as data from the European Environmental Agency (EEA) developed as part of EEA’s Air Quality Health Risk Assessments, this research employs multilevel modeling to explore the consequences of varying air quality on cognitive functioning such as episodic memory or verbal fluency. Older adults are particularly vulnerable subpopulations, and with their increasing representation in populations, understanding the factors influencing their cognitive health has never been more pertinent.
The study demonstrates that while individual factors (e.g. as education) and contextual factors, such as societal development and equality, are recognized as significant for episodic memory, the role of environmental factors remains underexplored. This research addresses this gap by examining the impact of air pollution on cognitive health, with a specific focus on how its effects vary by education. Our findings indicate that exposure to PM2.5 and PM10 significantly impairs cognitive performance in older adults. Additionally, the results highlight a pronounced educational gradient in the impact of pollution on cognitive health, particularly among women at advanced ages, whereas this pattern is not observed among men.
This study provides critical evidence for shaping public health policies aimed at mitigating the adverse effects of air pollution on cognitive well-being in aging populations. Addressing the cognitive consequences of air pollution is crucial for supporting healthy aging and improving quality of life for older adults across diverse contexts, including European populations.