Environment international
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Environment international · Feb 2020
Does the AQHI reduce cardiovascular hospitalization in Hong Kong's elderly population?
Air quality alert programs have been introduced around the world to reduce the short term effects of air pollution on health. Hong Kong, a densely populated city in southern China with high levels of air pollution, introduced its first air quality health index (AQHI) on December 30th 2013. However, whether air quality alert program warnings, such as the AQHI, reduces morbidity is uncertain. Using a quasi-experimental design, we conducted the first evaluation of the AQHI in Hong Kong, focusing on cardiovascular morbidity in Hong Kong's elderly population. ⋯ Hong Kong's AQHI helped reduced hospital admissions in the elderly for HPD and AMI but had no effect on overall emergency hospitalization for CVD. To maximize health benefits of the policy, at risk groups need to be able to follow the behavioral changes recommended by the AQHI warnings.