Projecting non-communicable diseases attributable to air pollution in the climate change era: a systematic review

ObjectivesClimate change is a major global issue with significant consequences, including effects on air quality and human well-being. This review investigated the projection of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) attributable to air pollution under different climate change scenarios.DesignThis systematic review was conducted according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses 2020 flow checklist. A population-exposure-outcome framework was established. Population referred to the general global population of all ages, the exposure of interest was air pollution and its projection, and the outcome was the occurrence of NCDs attributable to air pollution and burden of disease (BoD) based on the health indices of mortality, morbidity, disability-adjusted life years, years of life lost and years lived with disability.Data sourcesThe Web of Science, Ovid MEDLINE and EBSCOhost databases were searched for articles published from 2005 to 2023.Eligibility criteria for selecting studiesThe eligible articles were evaluated using the modified scale of a checklist for assessing the quality of ecological studies.Data extraction and synthesisTwo reviewers searched, screened and selected the included studies independently using standardised methods. The risk of bias was assessed using the modified scale of a checklist for ecological studies. The results were summarised based on the projection of the BoD of NCDs attributable to air pollution.ResultsThis review included 11 studies from various countries. Most studies specifically investigated various air pollutants, specifically particulate matter