Longitudinal Trends of the Annual Exposure to PM2.5 Particles in European Countries

Background. PM2.5 emission is known as a major challenge to environmental health and is the cause of approximately 7 million deaths annually. This study aimed at investigating the main patterns of PM2.5 trend changes among European countries. Methods. The annual exposure to PM2.5 pollutants was retrieved from the World Bank for 41 countries during 2010 to 2017, and a latent growth model was applied to identify the main patterns using Mplus 7.4 software. Results. Monitoring the overall mean annual exposure to PM2.5 in the Europe showed a downward pattern with an annual decrease of 2.48% during the study period. Turkey had the highest PM2.5 exposure with 43.82 μg/m3 in 2010, reaching 44.31 μg/m3 in 2017. Likewise, with 7.19 μg/m3 in 2010, Finland had the lowest exposure level which decreased to 5.86 μg/m3 in 2017. Two main patterns for the mean annual PM2.5 exposure were identified via the latent growth model. Countries in the first pattern, including Turkey and Ukraine, had experienced a slow annual increase in the mean exposure of PM2.5 pollutant. Likewise, the other 39 countries belonged to the second pattern with a moderate falling trend in the mean exposure to PM2.5. Conclusion. Although the trend changes of mean annual exposure to PM2.5 in Europe were falling, Turkey and Ukraine had experienced a slow annual increase. It is advisable to take appropriate measures to curb the current raising exposure to PM2.5 in Turkey and Ukraine.

Internet Gaming Disorder in Early Adolescents: Gender and Depression Differences in a Latent Growth Model

Background: Studies have shown that many Internet game players may have experienced Internet gaming disorder (IGD), which is thought to coexist with a variety of cognitive and psychological disorders, such as depression. A three-year, four-point longitudinal tracking study was conducted to examine the trajectory of IGD of Chinese early adolescents, as well as the predictive level of gender and depression for IGD. Participants (N = 316) completed questionnaires assessing IGD and depression at the time of the T1, T2, T3, and T4. This study adopted the widely used latent growth model for data analysis. The results showed that, in the early stage of adolescence, (1) the development trajectory of individual IGD was shown as a nonlinear latent variable growth model; the IGD was significantly higher than zero when teenagers were first measured (sixth grade); and, while on the rise, its growth rate is gradually slowing. (2) Gender can significantly predict the development trajectory of individual IGD. (3) Individuals with a high initial level of depression usually have a high initial level of IGD, individuals with a large range of depression display a large range of IGD, and those with a rapid rate of depression change show similar change in their IGD. In sum, this study provided an empirical basis for the prevention and intervention of IGD in early adolescents.

220Longitudinal associations between social isolation and cognitive performance among middle-aged and older population in China

Background In China, more than 10% of the elderly suffer from cognitive impairment and there is more than 10 million elderly with Alzheimer's disease. We aim to examine the association between social isolation and cognitive function among the Chinese middle-aged and older population. Methods We used data from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS). Cognitive performance and social isolation were assessed at baseline (2011) and follow-up (2013, 2015). We examined the trajectories of changes in cognitive performance and social isolation on the Latent Growth Model (LGM), and the independent effects of social isolation on the initial level and the subsequent development of cognition. Results After excluding respondents with missing key variables, we ultimately included 10,906 participants in the analysis. Cognitive performance and social isolation scores showed significant differences across time. After adjustment for the confounders, the coefficients of social isolation in the LGM indicated negative effects on cognitive performance in participants at three-time points (P < 0.05). Controlling for the confounders, the path coefficient of the initial level of social isolation with the initial level and the slope of cognition was −1.53 and 0.22, respectively. Similarly, the slope of social isolation and the slope of cognition were significantly (negatively) correlated. Conclusions Results demonstrate that higher social isolation lowers the cognitive performance and the decrease in overall social isolation is significantly associated with an increase in cognition for the middle-aged and elderly persons. Key messages Cognition, Social isolation, Aging, Latent growth model