Despite the well-established positive relationship between physical activity (PA) and sleep with cardiopulmonary and systemic health, there are controversial patterns of association between air pollutants concentration and movement behaviours (PA, sedentary behaviour, and sleep).
Children are especially susceptible to the harmful effects of air pollution. Considering that most of them live in urban environments characterized by elevated levels of air pollutants, it is critical to, on the one hand, investigate how air pollution affects the movement behaviours, and on the other hand, investigate if movement behaviours could moderate or mediate the influence of air pollution on children´s health.
Primary aim: Based on the information provided, the MOVE-AIR project was designed to explore the influence of movement behaviours on the associations between air pollutants and health outcomes in Portuguese children.
Secondary aims: 1) to characterize the settings (both indoor and outdoor) of air pollution exposure among children, and 2) to co-create solutions with the participants to mitigate the exposure to air pollutants in children´s daily lives.
Methods: This cross-sectional project will collect data from 248 primary school children aged 8-to-11 years. Children will be assessed for indoor and outdoor air pollutants (PM2.5 and PM10, carbon dioxide and nitrogen dioxide), tracked for the settings (i.e. indoor/ outdoor) and the time spent in each setting along the day, through an optical monitoring sensor with a global position system incorporated. Health outcomes, such as Interleukin 6 (IL6), Tumor Necrosis Factor Alpha (TNF- α), and oxidative parameters, including Total Antioxidant Status (TAS), and Total Oxidant Status (TOS) will be evaluated, and the Oxidative Stress Index (OSI) will be calculated. Children´s cardiopulmonary function will be assessed through the Shuttle-run Test, and movement behaviours will be assessed through accelerometers. Children´s sex, age, and parental socioeconomic status will be provided by parents through a questionnaire. Based on their availability and interest to participate, a sub-sample of class teachers, school leaders, parents, and children will be invited to a co-creation process to create solutions to mitigate their daily exposure to air pollutants. The influence of movement behaviours in the link between pollution and health (moderation or mediation) will be analyzed using R software (4.2.0).
Major expected outcomes: Our project will contribute to further understanding the influence of movement behaviours in the link between air pollution and health, adding a biological layer to the mechanistic links underlying these potential relationships, which have not been explored in this target population.
Finally, enhancing our comprehension of the living environments and contexts where children are more exposed to air pollution can help to cooperatively create solutions to mitigate their daily exposure to those harmful pollutants.
