No Cover Image

Journal article 46 views 2 downloads

Towards cleaner air: PM2.5 exposure and disparities around childcare providers in England

Joana Cruz Orcid Logo, Guangquan Li Orcid Logo, Amal Rammah Orcid Logo, Jian Zhong Orcid Logo, Niloofar Shoari Orcid Logo, Selin Akaraci, Samantha Hajna Orcid Logo, Caroline Hart, Rosemary C. Chamberlain, Christina Mitsakou, Karen Exley Orcid Logo, William Bloss Orcid Logo, Rich Fry Orcid Logo, Steven Cummins, Pia Hardelid Orcid Logo

Environmental Research, Volume: 288, Start page: 123172

Swansea University Author: Rich Fry Orcid Logo

  • 71036.VoR.pdf

    PDF | Version of Record

    © 2025 The Authors. This is an open access article under the CC BY license.

    Download (3.98MB)

Check full text

DOI (Published version): 10.1016/j.envres.2025.123172

Abstract

Air pollution poses a significant health risk for young children, particularly in urban and deprived areas. Exposure to fine particulate matter (PM2.5) during early life may contribute to long-term adverse health outcomes. This study examined changes in PM2.5 concentrations around Early Years Provid...

Full description

Published in: Environmental Research
ISSN: 0013-9351
Published: Elsevier BV 2026
Online Access: Check full text

URI: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa71036
first_indexed 2025-12-01T16:02:04Z
last_indexed 2026-01-17T05:33:13Z
id cronfa71036
recordtype SURis
fullrecord <?xml version="1.0"?><rfc1807><datestamp>2026-01-16T13:30:07.6661136</datestamp><bib-version>v2</bib-version><id>71036</id><entry>2025-12-01</entry><title>Towards cleaner air: PM2.5 exposure and disparities around childcare providers in England</title><swanseaauthors><author><sid>d499b898d447b62c81b2c122598870e0</sid><ORCID>0000-0002-7968-6679</ORCID><firstname>Rich</firstname><surname>Fry</surname><name>Rich Fry</name><active>true</active><ethesisStudent>false</ethesisStudent></author></swanseaauthors><date>2025-12-01</date><deptcode>MEDS</deptcode><abstract>Air pollution poses a significant health risk for young children, particularly in urban and deprived areas. Exposure to fine particulate matter (PM2.5) during early life may contribute to long-term adverse health outcomes. This study examined changes in PM2.5 concentrations around Early Years Providers (EYPs; childcare providers) in England from 2018 to 2022. We assessed associations between small-area socio-demographic characteristics and exposure levels exceeding the World Health Organisation (WHO) 2021 annual air quality guideline (&gt;5 &#x3BC;g/m3). We integrated data on EYPs locations from Ordnance Survey with annual PM2.5 estimates from DEFRA using Geographic Information Systems and socio-demographic indicators &#x2014; deprivation, urbanicity, and ethnic composition. A Bayesian spatial regression model with random effects was used to estimate adjusted associations between PM2.5 levels and local population characteristics. The number of EYPs ranged from 15,780 in 2018 to 18,427 in 2019. Mean PM2.5 levels around EYPs changed by 17.8 % over the study period (from 9.4 &#x3BC;g/m3 [SD = 1.8] in 2018 to 7.8 &#x3BC;g/m3 [SD = 1.5] in 2022). However, PM2.5 levels at over 96 % of EYPs remained above the WHO, 2021 annual guideline throughout. Higher PM2.5 concentrations were observed in EYPs located in more deprived, urban, and predominantly non-white communities. Despite recent improvements, PM2.5 levels around most EYPs in England remain above recommended thresholds. Targeted interventions in deprived urban areas are needed to reduce young children's exposure and address environmental health inequalities.</abstract><type>Journal Article</type><journal>Environmental Research</journal><volume>288</volume><journalNumber/><paginationStart>123172</paginationStart><paginationEnd/><publisher>Elsevier BV</publisher><placeOfPublication/><isbnPrint/><isbnElectronic/><issnPrint>0013-9351</issnPrint><issnElectronic/><keywords>Air pollution; Bayesian; Environmental justice; Geospatial; Nurseries; Paediatric</keywords><publishedDay>1</publishedDay><publishedMonth>1</publishedMonth><publishedYear>2026</publishedYear><publishedDate>2026-01-01</publishedDate><doi>10.1016/j.envres.2025.123172</doi><url/><notes/><college>COLLEGE NANME</college><department>Medical School</department><CollegeCode>COLLEGE CODE</CollegeCode><DepartmentCode>MEDS</DepartmentCode><institution>Swansea University</institution><apcterm>Other</apcterm><funders>This work was supported by ADR UK (Administrative Data Research UK) - an Economic and Social Research Council investment (part of UK Research and Innovation; ES/X000311/1], Health Data Research UK (HDRUK2023.0029) - an initiative funded by UK Research and Innovation, Department of Health and Social Care (England), the devolved administrations, and leading medical research charities, the Natural Environment Research Council WM-Air project (NE/S003487/1), and Wellcome Trust WM-Net Zero project (227150/Z/23/Z). Research at UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health benefits from funding from the NIHR Great Ormond Street Hospital Biomedical Research Centre.</funders><projectreference/><lastEdited>2026-01-16T13:30:07.6661136</lastEdited><Created>2025-12-01T13:36:43.4328757</Created><path><level id="1">Faculty of Medicine, Health and Life Sciences</level><level id="2">Swansea University Medical School - Health Data Science</level></path><authors><author><firstname>Joana</firstname><surname>Cruz</surname><orcid>0000-0001-5431-0520</orcid><order>1</order></author><author><firstname>Guangquan</firstname><surname>Li</surname><orcid>0000-0002-8736-5349</orcid><order>2</order></author><author><firstname>Amal</firstname><surname>Rammah</surname><orcid>0000-0003-0659-7680</orcid><order>3</order></author><author><firstname>Jian</firstname><surname>Zhong</surname><orcid>0000-0003-1026-8695</orcid><order>4</order></author><author><firstname>Niloofar</firstname><surname>Shoari</surname><orcid>0000-0002-3658-6563</orcid><order>5</order></author><author><firstname>Selin</firstname><surname>Akaraci</surname><order>6</order></author><author><firstname>Samantha</firstname><surname>Hajna</surname><orcid>0000-0002-0431-2787</orcid><order>7</order></author><author><firstname>Caroline</firstname><surname>Hart</surname><order>8</order></author><author><firstname>Rosemary C.</firstname><surname>Chamberlain</surname><order>9</order></author><author><firstname>Christina</firstname><surname>Mitsakou</surname><order>10</order></author><author><firstname>Karen</firstname><surname>Exley</surname><orcid>0000-0001-9954-0629</orcid><order>11</order></author><author><firstname>William</firstname><surname>Bloss</surname><orcid>0000-0002-3017-4461</orcid><order>12</order></author><author><firstname>Rich</firstname><surname>Fry</surname><orcid>0000-0002-7968-6679</orcid><order>13</order></author><author><firstname>Steven</firstname><surname>Cummins</surname><order>14</order></author><author><firstname>Pia</firstname><surname>Hardelid</surname><orcid>0000-0002-0154-1306</orcid><order>15</order></author></authors><documents><document><filename>71036__36025__cac83c2e6c1f4b0d8c7474c7249a1baf.pdf</filename><originalFilename>71036.VoR.pdf</originalFilename><uploaded>2026-01-16T13:28:16.0276388</uploaded><type>Output</type><contentLength>4169721</contentLength><contentType>application/pdf</contentType><version>Version of Record</version><cronfaStatus>true</cronfaStatus><documentNotes>&#xA9; 2025 The Authors. This is an open access article under the CC BY license.</documentNotes><copyrightCorrect>true</copyrightCorrect><language>eng</language><licence>http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/</licence></document></documents><OutputDurs/></rfc1807>
spelling 2026-01-16T13:30:07.6661136 v2 71036 2025-12-01 Towards cleaner air: PM2.5 exposure and disparities around childcare providers in England d499b898d447b62c81b2c122598870e0 0000-0002-7968-6679 Rich Fry Rich Fry true false 2025-12-01 MEDS Air pollution poses a significant health risk for young children, particularly in urban and deprived areas. Exposure to fine particulate matter (PM2.5) during early life may contribute to long-term adverse health outcomes. This study examined changes in PM2.5 concentrations around Early Years Providers (EYPs; childcare providers) in England from 2018 to 2022. We assessed associations between small-area socio-demographic characteristics and exposure levels exceeding the World Health Organisation (WHO) 2021 annual air quality guideline (>5 μg/m3). We integrated data on EYPs locations from Ordnance Survey with annual PM2.5 estimates from DEFRA using Geographic Information Systems and socio-demographic indicators — deprivation, urbanicity, and ethnic composition. A Bayesian spatial regression model with random effects was used to estimate adjusted associations between PM2.5 levels and local population characteristics. The number of EYPs ranged from 15,780 in 2018 to 18,427 in 2019. Mean PM2.5 levels around EYPs changed by 17.8 % over the study period (from 9.4 μg/m3 [SD = 1.8] in 2018 to 7.8 μg/m3 [SD = 1.5] in 2022). However, PM2.5 levels at over 96 % of EYPs remained above the WHO, 2021 annual guideline throughout. Higher PM2.5 concentrations were observed in EYPs located in more deprived, urban, and predominantly non-white communities. Despite recent improvements, PM2.5 levels around most EYPs in England remain above recommended thresholds. Targeted interventions in deprived urban areas are needed to reduce young children's exposure and address environmental health inequalities. Journal Article Environmental Research 288 123172 Elsevier BV 0013-9351 Air pollution; Bayesian; Environmental justice; Geospatial; Nurseries; Paediatric 1 1 2026 2026-01-01 10.1016/j.envres.2025.123172 COLLEGE NANME Medical School COLLEGE CODE MEDS Swansea University Other This work was supported by ADR UK (Administrative Data Research UK) - an Economic and Social Research Council investment (part of UK Research and Innovation; ES/X000311/1], Health Data Research UK (HDRUK2023.0029) - an initiative funded by UK Research and Innovation, Department of Health and Social Care (England), the devolved administrations, and leading medical research charities, the Natural Environment Research Council WM-Air project (NE/S003487/1), and Wellcome Trust WM-Net Zero project (227150/Z/23/Z). Research at UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health benefits from funding from the NIHR Great Ormond Street Hospital Biomedical Research Centre. 2026-01-16T13:30:07.6661136 2025-12-01T13:36:43.4328757 Faculty of Medicine, Health and Life Sciences Swansea University Medical School - Health Data Science Joana Cruz 0000-0001-5431-0520 1 Guangquan Li 0000-0002-8736-5349 2 Amal Rammah 0000-0003-0659-7680 3 Jian Zhong 0000-0003-1026-8695 4 Niloofar Shoari 0000-0002-3658-6563 5 Selin Akaraci 6 Samantha Hajna 0000-0002-0431-2787 7 Caroline Hart 8 Rosemary C. Chamberlain 9 Christina Mitsakou 10 Karen Exley 0000-0001-9954-0629 11 William Bloss 0000-0002-3017-4461 12 Rich Fry 0000-0002-7968-6679 13 Steven Cummins 14 Pia Hardelid 0000-0002-0154-1306 15 71036__36025__cac83c2e6c1f4b0d8c7474c7249a1baf.pdf 71036.VoR.pdf 2026-01-16T13:28:16.0276388 Output 4169721 application/pdf Version of Record true © 2025 The Authors. This is an open access article under the CC BY license. true eng http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
title Towards cleaner air: PM2.5 exposure and disparities around childcare providers in England
spellingShingle Towards cleaner air: PM2.5 exposure and disparities around childcare providers in England
Rich Fry
title_short Towards cleaner air: PM2.5 exposure and disparities around childcare providers in England
title_full Towards cleaner air: PM2.5 exposure and disparities around childcare providers in England
title_fullStr Towards cleaner air: PM2.5 exposure and disparities around childcare providers in England
title_full_unstemmed Towards cleaner air: PM2.5 exposure and disparities around childcare providers in England
title_sort Towards cleaner air: PM2.5 exposure and disparities around childcare providers in England
author_id_str_mv d499b898d447b62c81b2c122598870e0
author_id_fullname_str_mv d499b898d447b62c81b2c122598870e0_***_Rich Fry
author Rich Fry
author2 Joana Cruz
Guangquan Li
Amal Rammah
Jian Zhong
Niloofar Shoari
Selin Akaraci
Samantha Hajna
Caroline Hart
Rosemary C. Chamberlain
Christina Mitsakou
Karen Exley
William Bloss
Rich Fry
Steven Cummins
Pia Hardelid
format Journal article
container_title Environmental Research
container_volume 288
container_start_page 123172
publishDate 2026
institution Swansea University
issn 0013-9351
doi_str_mv 10.1016/j.envres.2025.123172
publisher Elsevier BV
college_str Faculty of Medicine, Health and Life Sciences
hierarchytype
hierarchy_top_id facultyofmedicinehealthandlifesciences
hierarchy_top_title Faculty of Medicine, Health and Life Sciences
hierarchy_parent_id facultyofmedicinehealthandlifesciences
hierarchy_parent_title Faculty of Medicine, Health and Life Sciences
department_str Swansea University Medical School - Health Data Science{{{_:::_}}}Faculty of Medicine, Health and Life Sciences{{{_:::_}}}Swansea University Medical School - Health Data Science
document_store_str 1
active_str 0
description Air pollution poses a significant health risk for young children, particularly in urban and deprived areas. Exposure to fine particulate matter (PM2.5) during early life may contribute to long-term adverse health outcomes. This study examined changes in PM2.5 concentrations around Early Years Providers (EYPs; childcare providers) in England from 2018 to 2022. We assessed associations between small-area socio-demographic characteristics and exposure levels exceeding the World Health Organisation (WHO) 2021 annual air quality guideline (>5 μg/m3). We integrated data on EYPs locations from Ordnance Survey with annual PM2.5 estimates from DEFRA using Geographic Information Systems and socio-demographic indicators — deprivation, urbanicity, and ethnic composition. A Bayesian spatial regression model with random effects was used to estimate adjusted associations between PM2.5 levels and local population characteristics. The number of EYPs ranged from 15,780 in 2018 to 18,427 in 2019. Mean PM2.5 levels around EYPs changed by 17.8 % over the study period (from 9.4 μg/m3 [SD = 1.8] in 2018 to 7.8 μg/m3 [SD = 1.5] in 2022). However, PM2.5 levels at over 96 % of EYPs remained above the WHO, 2021 annual guideline throughout. Higher PM2.5 concentrations were observed in EYPs located in more deprived, urban, and predominantly non-white communities. Despite recent improvements, PM2.5 levels around most EYPs in England remain above recommended thresholds. Targeted interventions in deprived urban areas are needed to reduce young children's exposure and address environmental health inequalities.
published_date 2026-01-01T05:34:24Z
_version_ 1856896462271545344
score 11.095986

Similar Items