Fine particulate matter and daily hospitalizations for mental and behavioral disorders: A time-series study in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.

Various adverse health outcomes caused by particulate matter (PM) exposure has been documented, while the evidence for the adverse effects of PM exposure on mental and behavioral disorders (MBDs) is limited. To date, few epidemiological studies, especially in developing countries, have focused on these adverse effects. In the past decade, air pollution sources in Vietnam have noticeably increased, resulting to the elevated concentrations of ambient air pollutants particularly fine PM or PM with an aerodynamic diameter ≤2.5 μm (PM). Hence, investigating the short-term association between PM and MBDs is worthwhile. In this study, a quasi-Poisson time-series regression analysis was used to investigate the association between PM exposure and daily hospitalizations for MBDs to the Ho Chi Minh City Mental Health Hospital during 2017-2020. A natural cubic spline smooth function for time was used to screen out long-term and seasonality trends. Stratified analyses were also performed by sex, age, and season. During study period, 9,986 hospitalizations for MBDs were recorded and included in the analysis. Results suggested that a 10 μg/m daily increase in PM concentration was associated with a statistically significant 2.96% (95% confidence interval: 0.23%-5.76%) increase in hospitalizations for MBDs. The effects of PM exposure on hospital admissions were more pronounced in female patients and the middle-age group (35-59 years). This finding could increase awareness regarding prevention and minimization of MBDs on the public.