Home indoor air quality and cognitive function over one year for people working remotely during COVI
Jul 9, 2024 20:30:09 GMT
Post by Nadica (She/Her) on Jul 9, 2024 20:30:09 GMT
Home indoor air quality and cognitive function over one year for people working remotely during COVID-19 - Published April 24, 2024
Highlights
• Office workers were followed for one year while working from home during 2021–22.
• Home indoor air quality was tracked with real-time commercial monitors.
• Cognitive function was regularly tested through 3 brain tests in custom phone app.
• Poor thermal conditions were associated with worse cognitive function or creativity.
• Carbon dioxide, even at low levels, was slightly associated with poor cognition.
Abstract
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic triggered an increase in remote work-from-home for office workers. Given that many homes now function as offices despite not being designed to support office work, it is critical to research the impact of indoor air quality (IAQ) in homes on the cognitive performance of people working from home. In this study, we followed 206 office workers across the U.S. over one year under remote or hybrid-remote settings during 2021–2022. Participants placed two real-time, consumer-grade indoor environmental monitors in their home workstation area and bedroom. Using a custom smartphone application geofenced to their residential address, participants responded to surveys and periodic cognitive function tests, including the Stroop color–word interference test, Arithmetic two-digit addition/subtraction test, and Compound Remote Associates Task (cRAT). Exposures assessed included carbon dioxide (CO2) and thermal conditions (indoor heat index: a combination of temperature and relative humidity) averaged over 30 min prior to each cognitive test. In fully adjusted longitudinal mixed models (n ≤ 121), we found that indoor thermal conditions at home were associated with cognitive function outcomes non-linearly (p < 0.05), with poorer cognitive performance on the Stroop test and poorer creative problem-solving on the cRAT when conditions were either too warm or too cool. Most indoor CO2 levels were <640 ppm, but there was still a slight association between higher CO2 and poorer cognitive performance on Stroop (p = 0.09). Our findings highlight the need to enhance home indoor environmental quality for optimal cognitive function during remote work, with benefits for both employees and employers.
Highlights
• Office workers were followed for one year while working from home during 2021–22.
• Home indoor air quality was tracked with real-time commercial monitors.
• Cognitive function was regularly tested through 3 brain tests in custom phone app.
• Poor thermal conditions were associated with worse cognitive function or creativity.
• Carbon dioxide, even at low levels, was slightly associated with poor cognition.
Abstract
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic triggered an increase in remote work-from-home for office workers. Given that many homes now function as offices despite not being designed to support office work, it is critical to research the impact of indoor air quality (IAQ) in homes on the cognitive performance of people working from home. In this study, we followed 206 office workers across the U.S. over one year under remote or hybrid-remote settings during 2021–2022. Participants placed two real-time, consumer-grade indoor environmental monitors in their home workstation area and bedroom. Using a custom smartphone application geofenced to their residential address, participants responded to surveys and periodic cognitive function tests, including the Stroop color–word interference test, Arithmetic two-digit addition/subtraction test, and Compound Remote Associates Task (cRAT). Exposures assessed included carbon dioxide (CO2) and thermal conditions (indoor heat index: a combination of temperature and relative humidity) averaged over 30 min prior to each cognitive test. In fully adjusted longitudinal mixed models (n ≤ 121), we found that indoor thermal conditions at home were associated with cognitive function outcomes non-linearly (p < 0.05), with poorer cognitive performance on the Stroop test and poorer creative problem-solving on the cRAT when conditions were either too warm or too cool. Most indoor CO2 levels were <640 ppm, but there was still a slight association between higher CO2 and poorer cognitive performance on Stroop (p = 0.09). Our findings highlight the need to enhance home indoor environmental quality for optimal cognitive function during remote work, with benefits for both employees and employers.