Background The association between indoor air pollution and heart rate variability (HRV) has been well-documented. Little is known about effects of household activities on indoor air quality and HRV alteration. To investigate changes in HRV associated with changes in personal exposure to household particulate matter (PM) and household activities. Methods We performed 24-h continuous monitoring of electrocardiography and measured household PM exposure among 50 housewives. The outcome variables were log10-transformed standard deviation of normal-to-normal (NN) intervals (SDNN) and the square root of the mean of the sum of the squares of differences between adjacent NN intervals (r-MSSD). Household PM was measured as the mass concentration of PM with an aerodynamic diameter <2.5 µm (PM2.5). We used mixed-effects models to examine the association between household PM2.5 exposure and log10-transformed HRV indices. Results After controlling for potential confounders, an interquartile range change in household PM2.5 with 1- to 4-h mean was associated with 1.25–4.31% decreases in SDNN and 0.12–3.71% decreases in r-MSSD. Stir-frying, cleaning with detergent and burning incense may increase household PM2.5 concentrations and modify the effects of household PM2.5 on HRV indices among housewives. Conclusions Indoor PM2.5 exposures were associated with decreased SDNN and r-MSSD among housewives, especially during stir-frying, cleaning with detergent and burning incense.
Department of Public Health, School of Medicine, College of Medicine, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan;School of Public Health, College of Public Health and Nutrition, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan;Department of Cosmetic Application and Management, St. Mary's Junior College of Medicine, Nursing and Management, Yilan, Taiwan;School of Public Health, College of Public Health and Nutrition, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan;Department of Information Management, St. Mary's Junior College of Medicine, Nursing and Management, Yilan, Taiwan;Division of Pulmonary Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Shuang Ho Hospital, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan;School of Respiratory Therapy, College of Medicine, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan;Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Cardiology, National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan;Department of Public Health, School of Medicine, College of Medicine, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan;School of Public Health, College of Public Health and Nutrition, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan
Recommended Citation:
Ya-Li Huang,Hua-Wei Chen,Bor-Cheng Han,et al. Personal Exposure to Household Particulate Matter, Household Activities and Heart Rate Variability among Housewives[J]. PLOS ONE,2014-01-01,9(3)