Air Quality Atmosphere & Health · Oct 2026
Associations of indoor airflow with sleep quality and duration in Chinese older adults
By Xu C, Newville D, Lee Y
Sleep is essential for healthy aging, yet population-level evidence on seasonal household window-opening patterns and sleep among older adults remains limited. This study examined associations between household window-opening patterns and sleep-related outcomes among Chinese older adults, with attention to rural–urban differences. We analyzed cross-sectional data from the 2018 Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey (CLHLS). Latent class analysis (LCA) identified household window-opening patterns based on seasonal variation in window-opening frequency. Associations with sleep quality and duration were examined using logistic and linear regression models, with rural–urban differences assessed using interaction terms. Among 10,128 older adults, 52.86% reported good sleep quality, and mean sleep duration was 7.46 h/day (SD = 2.36). LCA identified three distinct window-opening patterns: Frequent Year-Round Window Opening (70.29%), Infrequent Window Opening (18.52%), and Summer-Predominant Window Opening (11.19%). Compared with Infrequent Window Opening , both Summer-Predominant Window Opening (OR = 1.18, 95% CI: 1.02–1.38, p = 0.03) and Frequent Year-Round Window Opening (OR = 1.24, 95% CI: 1.12–1.38, p < 0.001) were associated with higher odds of good sleep quality. Frequent Year-Round Window Opening was also associated with longer sleep duration (β = 0.35 h/day, SE = 0.06, p < 0.001). The association between Frequent Year-Round Window Opening and good sleep quality was stronger among urban residents (interaction OR = 1.36, 95% CI: 1.10–1.68, p < 0.01). Window-opening patterns were associated with sleep quality and duration, with some variation by residential context. These findings should be interpreted cautiously given the observational design and lack of objective measures of indoor air exchange.