Socioeconomic disadvantage, air pollution, and metabolic health among women: analyses of UK Biobank and US data
- 1Department of Infectious Disease and Liver Disease, The Second Hospital of Nanjing, Affiliated to Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine , ,
- 2Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Anqing Municipal Hospital, Anqing Medical Center of Anhui Medical University , , ,
- 3School of Health Management, Anhui Medical University , , ,
Abstract
Background: Socioeconomic disadvantage and ambient air pollution are each associated with adverse liver and metabolic health. We examined their joint associations with liver-related and metabolic outcomes among middle-aged and older women.
Methods: This multi-database observational study included UK Biobank women and US women aged 40 years or older. UK exposures were Townsend deprivation and a residential 2010 PM 2.5 –NO ₂ score; outcomes were calculated Fatty Liver Index (FLI), FLI-defined probable fatty liver, and MRI liver fat. The contextual UK main model jointly included air pollution, Townsend deprivation, age, and collapsed ethnicity; extended sensitivity models additionally included smoking, alcohol frequency, education, and walking pace. US exposures were state poverty and PM 2.5 , and the primary outcome was age-standardized obesity prevalence.
Results: Among 231,525 UK women, mean FLI was 38.19 and 25.79% had FLI ≥60. In the contextual UK main model, Townsend deprivation was associated with higher FLI [β = 1.114, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.069 to 1.159] and higher odds of FLI ≥60 [odds ratio (OR) 1.080, 95% CI 1.076 to 1.084]. The positive age-adjusted pollution associations were attenuated after Townsend adjustment (FLI β = −0.068, 95% CI −0.137 to 0.001; FLI ≥60 OR 0.999, 95% CI 0.993 to 1.004). Across 46 US jurisdictions, each one standard deviation higher poverty level was associated with 1.38 percentage points higher female obesity prevalence after PM 2.5 and regional adjustment (95% CI 0.58 to 2.17).
Conclusion: Socioeconomic disadvantage was consistently associated with poorer liver-related and metabolic health among middle-aged and older women. In contrast, the UK pollution–FLI association was not supported after concurrent adjustment for area deprivation. Social conditions and environmental exposures should be considered jointly when assessing metabolic health in women.
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BibTeX
@article{ma2026socioeconomic,
title = {{Socioeconomic disadvantage, air pollution, and metabolic health among women: analyses of UK Biobank and US data}},
author = {Yuqi Ma and Mengyuan Xie and Mingming Liang and Qing Li},
journal = {Frontiers in endocrinology},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.3389/fendo.2026.1948066},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/PMC/PMC13661437},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Socioeconomic disadvantage, air pollution, and metabolic health among women: analyses of UK Biobank and US data
AU - Yuqi Ma
AU - Mengyuan Xie
AU - Mingming Liang
AU - Qing Li
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/30
JO - Frontiers in endocrinology
DO - 10.3389/fendo.2026.1948066
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/PMC/PMC13661437
AB - Background: Socioeconomic disadvantage and ambient air pollution are each associated with adverse liver and metabolic health. We examined their joint associations with liver-related and metabolic outcomes among middle-aged and older women. Methods: This multi-database observational study included UK Biobank women and US women aged 40 years or older. UK exposures were Townsend deprivation and a residential 2010 PM 2.5 –NO ₂ score; outcomes were calculated Fatty Liver Index (FLI), FLI-defined probable fatty liver, and MRI liver fat. The contextual UK main model jointly included air pollution, Townsend deprivation, age, and collapsed ethnicity; extended sensitivity models additionally included smoking, alcohol frequency, education, and walking pace. US exposures were state poverty and PM 2.5 , and the primary outcome was age-standardized obesity prevalence. Results: Among 231,525 UK women, mean FLI was 38.19 and 25.79% had FLI ≥60. In the contextual UK main model, Townsend deprivation was associated with higher FLI [β = 1.114, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.069 to 1.159] and higher odds of FLI ≥60 [odds ratio (OR) 1.080, 95% CI 1.076 to 1.084]. The positive age-adjusted pollution associations were attenuated after Townsend adjustment (FLI β = −0.068, 95% CI −0.137 to 0.001; FLI ≥60 OR 0.999, 95% CI 0.993 to 1.004). Across 46 US jurisdictions, each one standard deviation higher poverty level was associated with 1.38 percentage points higher female obesity prevalence after PM 2.5 and regional adjustment (95% CI 0.58 to 2.17). Conclusion: Socioeconomic disadvantage was consistently associated with poorer liver-related and metabolic health among middle-aged and older women. In contrast, the UK pollution–FLI association was not supported after concurrent adjustment for area deprivation. Social conditions and environmental exposures should be considered jointly when assessing metabolic health in women.
SN - 1664-2392
ER -