Ambient Air Pollution Exposures and Child Executive Function: A US Multicohort Study

Abstract

Background: Executive function, which develops rapidly in childhood, enables problem-solving, focused attention, and planning. Animal models describe executive function decrements associated with ambient air pollution exposure, but epidemiologic studies are limited. Methods: We examined associations between early childhood air pollution exposure and school-aged executive function in 1235 children from three US pregnancy cohorts in the ECHO-PATHWAYS Consortium. We derived point-based residential exposures to ambient particulate matter ≤2.5 µm in aerodynamic diameter (PM2.5), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), and ozone (O3) at ages 0–4 years from spatiotemporal models with a 2-week resolution. We assessed executive function across three domains, cognitive flexibility, working memory, and inhibitory control, using performance-based measures and calculated a composite score quantifying overall performance. We fitted linear regressions to assess air pollution and child executive function associations, adjusting for sociodemographic characteristics, maternal mental health, and health behaviors, and examined modification by child sex, maternal education, and neighborhood educational opportunity. Results: In the overall sample, we found hypothesized inverse associations in crude but not adjusted models. Modified associations between NO2 exposure and working memory by neighborhood education opportunity were present (P interaction = 0.05), with inverse associations more pronounced in the “high” and “very high” categories. Associations of interest did not differ by child sex or maternal education. Conclusion: This work contributes to the evolving science regarding early-life environmental exposures and child development. There remains a need for continued exploration in future research endeavors, to elucidate the complex interplay between natural environment and social determinants influencing child neurodevelopment.