Socioeconomic Inequalities in the External Exposome in European Cohorts: The EXPANSE Project
Year: 2024
Type: article
Abstract: Socioeconomic inequalities in the exposome have been found to be complex and highly context-specific, but studies have not been conducted in large population-wide cohorts from multiple countries. This study aims to examine the external exposome, encompassing individual and environmental factors influencing health over the life course, and to perform dimension reduction to derive interpretable characterization of the external exposome for multicountry epidemiological studies. Analyzing data from over 25 million individuals across seven European countries including 12 administrative and traditional cohorts, we utilized domain-specific principal component analysis (PCA) to define the external exposome, focusing on air pollution, the built environment, and air temperature. We conducted linear regression to estimate the association between individual- and area-level socioeconomic position and each domain of the external exposome. Consistent exposure patterns were observed within countries, indicating the representativeness of traditional cohorts for air pollution and the built environment. However, cohorts with limited geographical coverage and Southern European countries displayed lower temperature variability, especially in the cold season, compared to Northern European countries and cohorts including a wide range of urban and rural areas. The individual- and area-level socioeconomic determinants (i.e., education, income, and unemployment rate) of the urban exposome exhibited significant variability across the European region, with area-level indicators showing stronger associations than individual variables. While the PCA approach facilitated common interpretations of the external exposome for air pollution and the built environment, it was less effective for air temperature. The diverse socioeconomic determinants suggest regional variations in environmental health inequities, emphasizing the need for targeted interventions across European countries.
Authors: Apolline Saucy, Fabián Coloma, Sergio Olmos, Christofer Åström, Natalia Blay, Jolanda M.A. Boer, Payam Dadvand, Jeroen de Bont, Rafael de Cid, Kees de Hoogh, Konstantina Dimakopoulou, Ulrike Gehring, Anke Huss, Dorina Ibi, Klea Katsouyanni, Gerard Koppelman, Petter Ljungman, Erik Melén, Mark Nieuwenhuijsen, Federica Nobile, Annette Peters, Regina Pickford, Roel Vermeulen, Danielle Vienneau, Jelle Vlaanderen, Kathrin Wolf, Zhebin Yu, Evangelia Samoli, Massimo Stafoggia, Cathryn Tonne, on behalf of the EXPANSE Project Team
Institutions: Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona Institute for Global Health, Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Epidemiología y Salud Pública, Umeå University, Institut d'Investigació en Ciències de la Salut Germans Trias i Pujol, National Institute for Public Health and the Environment, Karolinska Institutet, Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, University of Basel, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Utrecht University, MRC Centre for Environment and Health, Imperial College London, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, Beatrix Kinderziekenhuis, Danderyds sjukhus, Stockholm South General Hospital, Sachs' Children and Youth Hospital, ASL Roma, Regione Lazio, Helmholtz Munich, Institut für Medizinische Informationsverarbeitung, Biometrie und Epidemiologie, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München
Language: English
Subfield: Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis
Field: Environmental Science
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
Estimated APC paid: $4,500
Funders: National Science Foundation, Universität Basel, Centres de Recerca de Catalunya, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Imperial College London, European Commission, Schweizerischer Nationalfonds zur Förderung der Wissenschaftlichen Forschung, Rijksuniversiteit Groningen, ZonMw, Universiteit Utrecht, Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung, Generalitat de Catalunya, Ministerie van Onderwijs, Cultuur en Wetenschap, Nederlandse Organisatie voor Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek, Hjärt-Lungfonden, Karolinska Institutet, Vetenskapsrådet, Riksbankens Jubileumsfond, KWF Kankerbestrijding, Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación, Umeå Universitet, Universitair Medisch Centrum Groningen, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Regione Lazio, Vlaamse regering, Lung Foundation Netherlands, Grifols, MRC-PHE Centre for Environment and Health, Medical Research Council, World Cancer Research Fund, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, H2020 Health
Awards: Assessing the impact of the urban exposome on cardio-respiratory health in a highly populated European setting, G1286400884, EXposome Powered tools for healthy living in urbAN SEttings, Massively Parallel Computations of Combustion and Emission Simulations, G2349720491, G2451966537, G2753671564, G3252852852, G3405515844, G3423777635, EXposome Powered tools for healthy living in urbAN SEttings, Biological mechanisms behind health effects of air pollution exposure from childhood to adulthood, G43203158, G434337789, G487027648, G4932078684, G5159276886, G521056402, G589846866, Exposome-NL, Proyecto GeoINF+. Estudio Genético del impacto de la exposición ambiental gEOgráfica en marcadores INFlaMAtorioS en población adulta., G6328075693, G757435487, G7899427922, Lung development and respiratory disease from childhood to adulthood, G8853261848
OpenAlex ID: W4402264770