Influence of ambient air pollution on television use among residents in Shanghai, China

Objectives: We examined the impact of ambient air pollution on television use among residents in Shanghai, China. Methods: Device-measured daily average duration of television use from January 2014 to December 2016 was obtained from a random sample of 300 households, and was matched to air pollution and weather data. We used an autoregressive moving-average model to estimate the association between air quality index (AQI) and television use. Results: There was a negative non-linear relationship between air pollution level and television use. Compared to the days when air quality was good (0≤AQI≤50), days with fair air quality (50<AQI≤100), light air pollution (100<AQI≤150), and moderate-to-severe air pollution (AQI>150) were associated with a reduction in daily average television use by 2.9 (p =.002), 4.6 (p <.001), and 1.9 (p =.369) minutes, respectively. Television use decreased with daytime temperature but increased on weekend days, holidays, and rainy days. Conclusions: Modest but not more severe air pollution was associated with reduced television use. People might mitigate the detrimental impact of air pollution by engaging in other indoor activities and/or sleeping.