Non-communicable diseases cause 63 percent of all deaths, with cardiovascular and respiratory diseases (CVD/RD) accounting for most of these. Outdoor and household air pollution (OAP/HAP) contribute greatly to this global burden: they are responsible for seven million deaths and 10.3 percent of disability-adjusted life-years annually worldwide, largely due to CVD/RD. Our aim is to conduct the first worldwide health study of air pollution impacts on CVD/RD, using an existing large international cohort: the Prospective Urban and Rural Epidemiological Study.
We will use novel satellite-based approaches and targeted air pollution monitoring to estimate OAP levels. Household air pollution will be estimated using detailed information already collected on heating/cooking methods, fuel types and ventilation practices within study participants' homes. We will then determine the associations of pollution exposures with measures of CVD/RD as well as key relevant risk factors such as blood pressure and lung function. This study will provide a worldwide analysis to allow us to make inferences about air pollution and related diseases in the context of a large number of other risk factors.