Abstract
The primary aim of this thesis was to investigate the acute lung function and airway inflammation (FeNO) responses to performing exercise in ambient air pollution in locations that have typically not been considered previously, including woodland, coastal, and park locations. The thesis also aimed to investigate attitudes towards air quality amongst habitual exercisers.Chapter 3 revealed a scarcity of research that considers children. Existing studies lack consistency in defining ‘active’ children, and fail to specify the nature and location of physical activities, limiting practical applications that can be drawn from existing evidence.
Chapter 4 demonstrated a reduction in FeNO following walks in both roadside (mean 20.87, SD17.14 vs. mean 18.96, SD 15.63ppb, p<0.01, d=0.12) and park walking routes (mean 21.52, SD16.69 vs. mean 19.63, SD 15.15ppb, p<0.01, d=0.10) in children (n=18) after school. Notably, pollution concentrations were not different between routes, suggesting the location of exercise may not impact pollutant exposure when they are in relatively close proximity.
Chapter 5 highlighted inconsistencies in reporting exercise intensity and duration across previous studies. Most focused on urban areas with pollution exceeding World Health Organisation (WHO) thresholds, leaving a knowledge gap regarding environments with lower pollution levels. The systematic review concluded that exercise lasting two hours or more in pollution concentrations exceeding the daily WHO thresholds likely lead to acute reductions in lung function, while the impact of shorter intense bouts of exercise remains unclear.
Chapter 6 indicated that most habitual exercisers (n=383) consider the impact of air quality on their health, with urban residents being more aware than their rural counterparts. 28% would avoid exercise during perceived high pollution, yet only 7% utilise daily air quality index to inform their decisions, suggesting they may unnecessarily avoid exercise.
Chapter 7 reported a delayed inflammatory response two hours after exercise in the urban (mean:+5.0ppb; 95% CI: 9.45ppb to 0.54ppb; p=0.02) and coastal locations (mean: +3.8ppb; 95% CI: 7.2ppbto 0.49ppb; p=0.03) in adults (n=19). However, significant increases in FVC and FEV1 were also observed. These locations had the highest pollution concentrations, albeit within WHO daily thresholds.
Findings suggest exercising in environments where pollution concentrations do not exceed WHO daily thresholds is generally beneficial for healthy children and adults. However, increased FeNO in the hours following exercise in areas with the highest pollution concentrations indicates that concentrations below the daily, but not annual WHO threshold may still induce some negative acute airway response. Considering air quality in exercise planning to optimise respiratory health outcomes is clearly of high importance
| Date of Award | Aug 2025 |
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| Original language | English |
| Awarding Institution |
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| Supervisor | Valerie Gladwell (Supervisor), Dr Jane Black (Supervisor) & PROF NIC BURY (Supervisor) |