Authors
Thara Govindaraju, Martin Man, Alice J Owen, Matthew Carroll, Brigitte M Borg, Catherine L Smith, Caroline X Gao, David Brown, David Poland, Shantelle Allgood, Jillian F Ikin, Michael J Abramson, Tracy A McCaffrey, Tyler J Lane
Publication date
2024/7/1
Journal
Environmental Research
Volume
252
Pages
119014
Publisher
Academic Press
Description
In 2014, a fire at an open cut coalmine in regional Victoria, Australia burned for 6 weeks. Residents of the nearby town of Morwell were exposed to smoke, which included high levels of fine particulate matter (PM2.5). We investigated whether the long-term effects of PM2.5 on respiratory health were moderated by diet quality. A cross-sectional analysis was conducted of data collected 8.5 years after the mine fire from 282 residents of Morwell and 166 residents from the nearby unexposed town of Sale. Primary outcomes were respiratory symptoms. Exposure was coalmine fire-related PM2.5 and diet quality was assessed as Australian Recommended Food Score (ARFS) derived using the Australian Eating Survey (AES). The moderating effect of diet quality on respiratory outcomes associated with PM2.5 was assessed using logistic regression models, adjusting for potential confounders. Diet quality was poor in this …