Personal interventions to reduce air pollution exposure in a representative sample of Poles aged 18-64 years

Radosław Sierpiński¹Mateusz Jankowski^2*Filip Raciborski³

• ¹Faculty of Medicine, Collegium Medicum, Cardinal Stefan Wyszynski University, Warsaw, Poland
• ²Department of Population Health, School of Public Health, Centre of Postgraduate Medical Education, Warsaw, Poland
• ³Department of Prevention of Environmental Hazards, Allergology and Immunology, Faculty of Health Sciences, Medical University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland

Introduction: Exposure to air pollution is a major environmental hazards to human health. This study aimed to assess personal interventions to reduce air pollution exposure in a representative sample of Poles aged 18-64 years, as well as to identify factors associated with these personal interventions. Methods: This is a secondary analysis of data from the nationwide cross-sectional survey carried out in December 2024 in a representative sample of adults in Poland aged 18-64 years. Questions on four personal interventions to reduce air pollution exposure were analyzed. Results: In the analyzed population (n=5006), the percentage of women was 49.9%, average age of 41.8 (SD=12.59). Among the respondents, 18.2% reported closing windows at home to protect against air pollution, and 16.1% reported using air purifiers at home. Avoiding outdoor walking during high-pollution periods and monitoring air-quality alerts were reported by 12.7% and 11.8%, respectively. Males had a 15% higher odds of using at least one intervention (OR=1.15; 95%CI: 1.02-1.31). Adults aged 25-34 showed a 48% higher odds of using at least one personal intervention compared to people aged 45-64 (OR=1.48; 95%CI: 1.24-1.78). Residents of the largest cities (> 500,000 inhabitants) were 46% more likely to implement personal interventions to reduce air pollution exposure in comparison to residents of rural areas (OR=1.46; 95%CI: 1.19-1.78). Having children aged 4 - 12 years (p<0.05) increased the odds of implementation of personal intervention in comparison to people without children of this age. Individuals with frequent infections (≥5 per year) had 46% higher odds than those who reported not getting sick (OR=1.46; 95%CI: 1.07-2.00), Conclusions: Adults in Poland show low uptake of personal measures to reduce air pollution exposure. Socio-demographic differences in the implementation of a personal intervention to reduce air pollution were observed, with particular emphasis on gender, age, place of residence, having children, and economic status.