Green space, air pollution mixture and biological aging trajectories in 11,760 Chinese adults
In a high-pollution Chinese city, more green space near home was associated with lower odds of an accelerated biological aging trajectory, while higher air pollution exposure was associated with higher odds; about a quarter of the green-space link appeared mediated by lower pollution exposure. [1]
Automatic summary · not editorially reviewed
The key findings
The study used repeated-measures data from 11,760 adults aged 20 to 65 in a high-pollution Chinese city and identified three biological age acceleration profiles. [1]
Higher green space was associated with lower odds of the accelerated aging trajectory, while higher air pollution exposure was associated with higher odds. [1]
About 25.0% of the protective green-space association was mediated by reduced pollution exposure. [1]
The source at a glance
- Study type / format
- Observational accelerated longitudinal study using repeated measures (abstract).
- Population / context
- 11,760 adults aged 20 to 65 years in a high-pollution Chinese city.
- Summary based on
- Study abstract
- Original publication
- September 3, 2026
Repeated measures in 11,760 adults in a high-pollution city
The study used an accelerated longitudinal design with repeated-measures data from 11,760 adults aged 20 to 65 in a high-pollution Chinese city. Biological age acceleration was derived with the Klemera-Doubal method. Group-based trajectory modeling identified three stable profiles, labeled slow, moderate and accelerated aging, which differed mainly in overall magnitude rather than in diverging slopes over age.
Supporting source [1]
Green space linked to lower, pollution to higher accelerated-aging odds
Higher green space (500 m normalized difference vegetation index) was associated with lower odds of belonging to the accelerated aging trajectory (odds ratio 0.84; 95% confidence interval 0.75 to 0.95). Even with limited exposure contrast in this high-pollution setting, higher exposure to PM2.5, PM10, SO2 and O3 was associated with higher odds of that trajectory. The pollution mixture showed a consistent positive association (odds ratio 1.16; 95% confidence interval 1.08 to 1.24), driven mainly by O3 and PM10.
Supporting source [1]
Partial mediation and abstract-only scope of the associations
A mediation analysis indicated that 25.0% of the protective association of green space was mediated by reduced pollution exposure. The authors describe these as associations and highlight green space as a resilience resource, supporting combined urban greening and pollution control; the design does not establish causation. Only the abstract was reviewed, so details of exposure assessment, follow-up length and adjustment for confounders were not available here.
Supporting source [1]
How to interpret this
Abstract only; the full text was not reviewed. The design is observational, so the reported associations do not establish causation. Exposure assessment, follow-up length and confounder adjustment are not described in the abstract.
Based on the study abstract; the full paper, tables and supplementary data were not reviewed.
Source & supporting passages
Ma G, Xu J, Li Y, Wu Y, Li Q, Cao X, Zhao Z, Gao J, Gao L, Yan L, Zhang X. · europepmc.org · September 3, 2026