Short-term effects of air pollution on hospitalization for acute lower respiratory infections in children: a time-series analysis study from Lanzhou, China

BACKGROUND: Short-term exposure to air pollution is associated with acute lower respiratory infections (ALRI) in children. We investigated the relationship between hospitalization for ALRI in children and air pollutant concentrations from January 1, 2014 to December 31, 2020 in Lanzhou City. METHODS: We collected data on air pollutant concentrations and children’s hospitalization data during the study period. A time series regression analysis was used to assess the short-term effects of air pollutants on ALRI in children, and subgroup analyses and sensitivity analyses were performed. RESULTS: A total of 51,206 children with ALRI were studied, including 40,126 cases of pneumonia and 11,080 cases of bronchiolitis. The results of the study revealed that PM(2.5), PM(10), SO(2) and NO(2) were significantly associated with hospitalization for ALRI in children aged 0–14 years. For each 10 µg/m(3) increase in air pollutant concentration in lag0-7, the relative risk of ALRI hospitalization in children due to PM(2.5), PM(10), SO(2) and NO(2) increased by 1.089 (95%CI:1.075, 1.103), 1.018 (95%CI:1.014, 1.021), 1.186 (95%CI:1.154. 1.219) and 1.149 (95%CI:1.130, 1.168), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: PM(2.5), PM(10), SO(2) and NO(2) short-term exposures were positively associated with ALRI, pneumonia and bronchiolitis hospitalizations in Lanzhou, China. Local governments should make efforts to improve urban ambient air quality conditions to reduce hospitalization rates for childhood respiratory diseases. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12889-023-16533-7.