Quality evaluation tool for observational air pollution study: introduction of the WHO global air quality guide risk of bias assessment instrument_Chinese Journal of Evidence-Based Medicine

Authors：

LIANG Mingming ¹ , GUO Xianwei ¹ , LI Ning ¹ , SONG Qiuxia ¹ , WANG Hao ¹ , SU Wanying ¹ , LIANG Qiwei ¹ , DING Xiuxiu ¹ , YE Pengpeng ² , DUAN Leilei ² ,  SUN Yehuan ¹

1. Department of Epidemiology and Health Statistics, School of Public Health, Anhui Medical University, Hefei 230032, P. R. China;
2. National Center for Chronic and Noncommunicable Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing 100050, P. R. China;

Corresponding author：

SUN Yehuan, Email: yhsun_ahmu_edu@yeah.net

Keywords：

Ambient pollutant; Risk of bias; Quality evaluation tool; Systematic review

DOI：

10.7507/1672-2531.202110032

Video：

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The current issue of air pollution has pushed the development of the corresponding observational air pollution studies. The World Health Organization has developed a new risk of bias (RoB) assessment instrument and a related guideline for assessing the risk of potential bias in observational air pollution studies. This study introduced the background, methods, uses, advantages and disadvantages, precautions, and usage scenarios of the RoB instrument. It is expected to provide researchers with corresponding quality evaluation tools when writing related systematic review and meta-analysis, which will also help provide reporting standards for observational air pollution studies, thereby improving the quality of studies.

Citation： LIANG Mingming, GUO Xianwei, LI Ning, SONG Qiuxia, WANG Hao, SU Wanying, LIANG Qiwei, DING Xiuxiu, YE Pengpeng, DUAN Leilei, SUN Yehuan. Quality evaluation tool for observational air pollution study: introduction of the WHO global air quality guide risk of bias assessment instrument. Chinese Journal of Evidence-Based Medicine, 2022, 22(3): 360-364. doi: 10.7507/1672-2531.202110032 Copy

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5.	Franchini M, Mannucci PM. Particulate air pollution and cardiovascular risk: short-term and long-term effects. Semin Thromb Hemost, 2009, 35(7): 665-670.
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9.	Liang M, Ding X, Wu Y, et al. Temperature and risk of infectious diarrhea: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Environ Sci Pollut Res Int, 2021, 28(48): 68144-68154.
10.	Shah AS, Lee KK, McAllister DA, et al. Short term exposure to air pollution and stroke: systematic review and meta-analysis. BMJ, 2015, 350: h1295.
11.	Dekkers OM, Vandenbroucke JP, Cevallos M, et al. COSMOS-E: Guidance on conducting systematic reviews and meta-analyses of observational studies of etiology. PLoS Med, 2019, 16(2): e1002742.
12.	Bhaskaran K, Gasparrini A, Hajat S, et al. Time series regression studies in environmental epidemiology. Int J Epidemiol, 2013, 42(4): 1187-1195.
13.	Brook RD, Kousha T. Air pollution and emergency department visits for hypertension in Edmonton and Calgary, Canada: a case-crossover study. Am J Hypertens, 2015, 28(9): 1121-1126.
14.	Guo Y, Tong S, Li S, et al. Gaseous air pollution and emergency hospital visits for hypertension in Beijing, China: a time-stratified case-crossover study. Environ Health, 2010, 9: 57.
15.	Guo Y, Tong S, Zhang Y, et al. The relationship between particulate air pollution and emergency hospital visits for hypertension in Beijing, China. Sci Total Environ, 2010, 408(20): 4446-4450.
16.	Qorbani M, Yunesian M, Fotouhi A, et al. Effect of air pollution on onset of acute coronary syndrome in susceptible subgroups. East Mediterr Health J, 2012, 18(6): 550-555.
17.	Nascimento LF, Francisco JB. Particulate matter and hospital admission due to arterial hypertension in a medium-sized Brazilian city. Cad Saude Publica, 2013, 29(8): 1565-1571.
18.	Szyszkowicz M, Rowe BH, Brook RD. Even low levels of ambient air pollutants are associated with increased emergency department visits for hypertension. Can J Cardiol, 2012, 28(3): 360-366.
19.	Stang A. Critical evaluation of the Newcastle-Ottawa scale for the assessment of the quality of nonrandomized studies in meta-analyses. Eur J Epidemiol, 2010, 25(9): 603-605.
20.	Chen J, Hoek G. Long-term exposure to PM and all-cause and cause-specific mortality: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Environ Int, 2020, 143: 105974.
21.	Zheng XY, Orellano P, Lin HL, et al. Short-term exposure to ozone, nitrogen dioxide, and sulphur dioxide and emergency department visits and hospital admissions due to asthma: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Environ Int, 2021, 150: 106435.
22.	Huangfu P, Atkinson R. Long-term exposure to NO₂ and O₃ and all-cause and respiratory mortality: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Environ Int, 2020, 144: 105998.

1. Schraufnagel DE, Balmes JR, Cowl CT, et al. Air pollution and noncommunicable diseases: a review by the forum of international respiratory societies' environmental committee, part 2: air pollution and organ systems. Chest, 2019, 155(2): 417-426.
2. WHO Global Air Quality Guidelines Working Group. Risk of bias assessment instrument for systematic reviews informing WHO global air quality guidelines. Available at: https://www.euro.who.int/en/health-topics/environment-and-health/air-quality/publications/2020/risk-of-bias-assessment-instrument-for-systematic-reviews-informing-who-global-air-quality-guidelines-2020.
3. Villeneuve PJ, Goldberg MS. Methodological considerations for epidemiological studies of air pollution and the SARS and COVID-19 coronavirus outbreaks. Environ Health Perspect, 2020, 128(9): 95001.
4. Huang F, Pan B, Wu J, et al. Relationship between exposure to PM2.5 and lung cancer incidence and mortality: a meta-analysis. Oncotarget, 2017, 8(26): 43322-43331.
5. Franchini M, Mannucci PM. Particulate air pollution and cardiovascular risk: short-term and long-term effects. Semin Thromb Hemost, 2009, 35(7): 665-670.
6. Egger M , Smith GD, Altman DG. Systematic reviews in health care. Frontmatter, 2001, 10.1002/9780470693926: i-xiii: 211-227.
7. 曾宪涛, 刘慧, 陈曦, 等. Meta分析系列之四: 观察性研究的质量评价工具. 中国循证心血管医学杂志, 2012, 4(4): 297-299.
8. Cai Y, Zhang B, Ke W, et al. Associations of short-term and long-term exposure to ambient air pollutants with hypertension: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Hypertension, 2016, 68(1): 62-70.
9. Liang M, Ding X, Wu Y, et al. Temperature and risk of infectious diarrhea: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Environ Sci Pollut Res Int, 2021, 28(48): 68144-68154.
10. Shah AS, Lee KK, McAllister DA, et al. Short term exposure to air pollution and stroke: systematic review and meta-analysis. BMJ, 2015, 350: h1295.
11. Dekkers OM, Vandenbroucke JP, Cevallos M, et al. COSMOS-E: Guidance on conducting systematic reviews and meta-analyses of observational studies of etiology. PLoS Med, 2019, 16(2): e1002742.
12. Bhaskaran K, Gasparrini A, Hajat S, et al. Time series regression studies in environmental epidemiology. Int J Epidemiol, 2013, 42(4): 1187-1195.
13. Brook RD, Kousha T. Air pollution and emergency department visits for hypertension in Edmonton and Calgary, Canada: a case-crossover study. Am J Hypertens, 2015, 28(9): 1121-1126.
14. Guo Y, Tong S, Li S, et al. Gaseous air pollution and emergency hospital visits for hypertension in Beijing, China: a time-stratified case-crossover study. Environ Health, 2010, 9: 57.
15. Guo Y, Tong S, Zhang Y, et al. The relationship between particulate air pollution and emergency hospital visits for hypertension in Beijing, China. Sci Total Environ, 2010, 408(20): 4446-4450.
16. Qorbani M, Yunesian M, Fotouhi A, et al. Effect of air pollution on onset of acute coronary syndrome in susceptible subgroups. East Mediterr Health J, 2012, 18(6): 550-555.
17. Nascimento LF, Francisco JB. Particulate matter and hospital admission due to arterial hypertension in a medium-sized Brazilian city. Cad Saude Publica, 2013, 29(8): 1565-1571.
18. Szyszkowicz M, Rowe BH, Brook RD. Even low levels of ambient air pollutants are associated with increased emergency department visits for hypertension. Can J Cardiol, 2012, 28(3): 360-366.
19. Stang A. Critical evaluation of the Newcastle-Ottawa scale for the assessment of the quality of nonrandomized studies in meta-analyses. Eur J Epidemiol, 2010, 25(9): 603-605.
20. Chen J, Hoek G. Long-term exposure to PM and all-cause and cause-specific mortality: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Environ Int, 2020, 143: 105974.
21. Zheng XY, Orellano P, Lin HL, et al. Short-term exposure to ozone, nitrogen dioxide, and sulphur dioxide and emergency department visits and hospital admissions due to asthma: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Environ Int, 2021, 150: 106435.
22. Huangfu P, Atkinson R. Long-term exposure to NO₂ and O₃ and all-cause and respiratory mortality: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Environ Int, 2020, 144: 105998.

Chinese Journal of Evidence-Based Medicine

Quality evaluation tool for observational air pollution study: introduction of the WHO global air quality guide risk of bias assessment instrument

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