Poor air quality can dampen childhood spirit
February 10, 2021
Study finds pollution can increase stress, reduce self-esteem in children
The toll that air pollution takes on a person’s physical health is well documented. But new University of Georgia research suggests there could be another price too: a child’s drive to be successful.
UGA researchers investigated noncognitive traits — patterns of thoughts, feelings and behaviors — in adolescents who lived in areas of concentrated air pollution in China. These noncognitive traits, sometimes called “soft skills,” are associated with a child’s ability to find academic, social and professional success.
Their findings were troubling.