Association Between Indoor Ventilation Frequency and IADL Disability Among Chinese Older Adults

Background: Indoor air quality (IAQ) is regarded as a significant factor influencing older adults’ health, and opening windows for ventilation can help improve IAQ. This study revealed the relationship between indoor ventilation frequency (IVF) and instrumental activities of daily living (IADL) in Chinese older adults for the first time. Methods: Data were obtained from cross‐sectional data published in the 2017–2018 Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey (CLHLS) database. A multifactor logistic regression model was used to analyze the association between IVF and IADL in Chinese people aged 65 and above, which was observed in different subgroups. Further propensity score matching (PSM) and three sensitivity analyses enhanced the robustness of the results. Results: After adjusting for all covariates, moderate and high IVF was associated with 33.8% (OR = 0.662, 95% CI: 0.507–0.864) and 42.6% (OR = 0.574, 95% CI: 0.444–0.742) reduction in the risk of having an IADL disability, compared to the low one, respectively. Among the results, significant associations were found only between IVF in summer and winter and older adults’ risk of IADL disability. Subgroup analyses showed that the association between IVF and IADL was specific in different subgroup populations. The results of the interaction analyses indicated that drinking significantly modified the relationship between IVF and IADL disability ( p for interaction < 0.05). Conclusion: In this nationally representative sample analysis, a higher window opening frequency for indoor ventilation was statistically significantly associated with a decrease in IADL disability among Chinese older adults. These results provide an essential basis for relevant policy development and new health intervention strategies to lower older adults’ risk of disability.