Waste incineration plant, Health effects, Respiratory symptoms, Quality of life, Residential distance, Mediating effect, Public aspects of medicine, RA1-1270

Abstract Background Living near waste incineration plants (WIPs) may have adverse effects on health associated with quality of life (QOL) among local residents. This study was undertaken to measure the QOL of residents living near WIPs in China, identify the association between residential distance from the WIPs and QOL, and assess the mediating effect of respiratory symptoms on the association between residential distance and QOL. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted in communities surrounding three municipal WIPs in Dongguan, China. The QOL using the WHOQOL-BREF and respiratory symptoms using the Medical Research Council Questionnaire (MRCQ) on Respiratory Symptoms were measured in 881 residents (454 living 3 km of their local WIP vs. 427 living 3–8 km from the WIP). Differences in respiratory symptoms and QOL in two separate items and four domains were analyzed. The associations of distance with respiratory symptoms and QOL were evaluated by multiple linear regression and logistic regression, respectively. Mediating effect of respiratory symptoms on the association between distance and QOL were tested using mediation analysis. Results Compared with the 3–8 km group, residents in the 0–3 km group had significantly lower scores in the physical health domain (β= − 2.02, p = 0.027), social relationships domain (β= − 2.47, p = 0.016) and environment domain (β= − 3.55, p