| Title: | Association of residential green space, blue space, and natural environment with osteoarthritis risk: The role of air pollution and phenotypic age acceleration |
| Journal: | Environmental Research |
| Published: | 25 Dec 2025 |
| Pubmed: | https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41455514/ |
| DOI: | https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envres.2025.123632 |
Publication 17027
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Abstract
BACKGROUND: This study aimed to investigate the association between residential environment and the risk of osteoarthritis (OA), and analyse the potential roles of air pollution and phenotypic age (PhenoAge) acceleration.</p>
METHODS: We analysed data from 343,732 UK Biobank participants. Green space, blue space, and natural environment were assessed as the percentage of vegetation, water bodies, and non-built land cover within 300 m and 1000 m buffers around participants' residences. Cox proportional hazards regression models were used to assess the associations with OA risk, and estimate their population attributable fractions (PAFs). The roles of air pollution and PhenoAge acceleration were examined through joint and mediation analyses.</p>
RESULTS: Over a median follow-up of 12.49 years, 5909 participants developed OA. Within the 300 m buffer, each 5 % increase in green space, blue space, and natural environment was associated with lower OA risk, with hazard ratios (HRs) and 95 % confidence intervals (CIs) of 0.96 (0.95-0.97), 0.95 (0.91-0.99), and 0.98 (0.97-0.99). PAFs indicated that lower levels of green space, blue space and natural environment exposure could be attributed to 9.12 %, 5.15 %, and 9.05 % of OA cases. Meaningful interactions were observed between PM10, NO2 and the residential environment, with a stronger joint protective effect among individuals with a younger PhenoAge. Mediation analyses indicated notable indirect effects through NO2 and PM10. CONCLUSIONS: A higher residential environment was associated with a lower OA risk, with PM10 and NO2 exhibiting both interaction and mediation roles. Individuals with younger PhenoAge benefited more from these protective effects.</p>
8 Authors
- Jilong Bai
- Panting Wei
- Yao Zhang
- Liying Wang
- Rui Ren
- Wenxu Wang
- Difei Wang
- Wan Yu
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