Perceived Urban Air Pollution and Mental Health Among Adults in Pakistan: Health-Related Locus of Control as a Mediator and Outdoor Physical Activity as a Moderator

Abstract

Those developing regions of the world where urbanization and industrialization have been the most rapid have produced population-dense areas with extremely high levels of ambient air pollution. Almost everywhere, poor air quality has been associated with several physical and mental health disorders. The only unexplainable part has been the psychological mechanism. The main objective of this study is to understand the psychosocial effects of urban air pollution on the Pakistani population. More specifically, this study aims to understand the effects of urban air pollution on the mental health of Pakistan’s adult population, with health-related locus of control as the mediating factor and outdoor physical activity as the moderating factor. This study has been conducted across all major metropolitan areas of Pakistan, covering an urban population of approximately 104 million under the age of 60. Approximately 400 samples were collected in this cross-sectional study. Key findings of this study were derived from self-administered questionnaires. The locus of control was assessed using a questionnaire comprising the perception of air pollution, stress, and anxiety and depression scales, all of which were validated and adapted for this study. Active transportation and outdoor physical activity were assessed using a validated scale. For this study, the collected data were analyzed using descriptive analysis and regression analysis. The findings of the study revealed that urban air pollution and outdoor physical activity have a significant effect on the adult population of Pakistan.