Impact of residential relocation on environmental exposures in European cohorts: an exposome-wide approach

BACKGROUND AND AIM Residential relocation can cause simultaneous changes in multiple environmental exposures and provides a unique opportunity to examine the health impacts of interventions on the external exposome. However, the likelihood of relocation can be influenced by various individual, household, and neighbourhood characteristics that can also influence health. Including Swedish and Dutch adults (SDPP, AMIGO, mean age 49 years) and children (PIAMA, BAMSE, 0-20 years) cohorts, we investigated the factors associated with relocation and changes in multiple environmental exposures across life stages. METHODS We used uni- and multivariable logistic regression to identify predictors of moving (yes/no) including age, sex, ethnicity, education and chronic cardio-respiratory diseases (asthma, hypertension) at baseline. We then conducted multivariable linear regression to identify predictors of changes in individual exposures (air pollution, green space, blue space, impervious surfaces) among participants who relocated during the first four years of follow-up. RESULTS On average, 7% of the participants relocated each year. Before relocation, movers consistently presented higher levels of air pollution than non-movers. Predictors of moving in adults cohorts included younger age, past and current smoking, lower levels of education, but not sex or pre-existing asthma or hypertension. In children cohorts, moving was associated with higher levels of socioeconomic status and parental education. These characteristics were also associated with moving to greener, less polluted areas. Among movers in adults cohorts, older individuals moved to areas with increased pollution and grey space. However, relocating to areas with higher levels of pollution and less green space was associated with higher education levels in SDPP, and lower education levels in AMIGO. CONCLUSIONS Several individual characteristics including age, smoking and education were associated with residential relocation. Among movers, the predictors of exposure change due to relocation varied across cohorts and life stages. KEYWORDS external exposome; air pollution; built environment, residential relocation