MESA
MESA Air Pollution Questionnaire (Adapted for TILDA))
Measuring: Participant time-activity patterns and household ventilation relevant to estimating personal exposure to ambient air pollution.
Number of Items: 9
| Item | Question Wording | TILDA Variable |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Number of hours spent yesterday at home indoors (including sleeping), estimated to the nearest hour | SCQActivHours1 |
| 2 | Number of hours spent yesterday at home outdoors, estimated to the nearest hour | SCQActivHours2 |
| 3 | Number of hours spent yesterday at work, volunteer work, or school, indoors, estimated to the nearest hour | SCQActivHours3 |
| 4 | Number of hours spent yesterday at work, volunteer work, or school, outdoors, estimated to the nearest hour | SCQActivHours4 |
| 5 | Number of hours spent yesterday in transit (car, bus, train, bike, walk, etc.), estimated to the nearest hour | SCQActivHours5 |
| 6 | Number of hours spent yesterday in other indoor places, estimated to the nearest hour | SCQActivHours6 |
| 7 | Number of hours spent yesterday in other outdoor places, estimated to the nearest hour | SCQActivHours7 |
| 8 | How often are the windows or doors open for ventilation in your home during winter (December–February)? | SCQWinDoorOpen |
| 9 | How often are the windows or doors open for ventilation in your home during summer (June–August)? | SCQSumDoorOpen |
Scoring Method:
Items 1–7:
- Numeric response indicating the number of hours spent in each location yesterday.
- Responses are estimated to the nearest hour.
- Expected response range: 0–24 hours.
- These items are retained as individual time-activity measures rather than combined into a scale score.
Items 8–9:
- Never (0%)
- Almost Never (25%)
- Sometimes (50%)
- Often (75%)
- Always (100%)
These items are retained as separate measures of household ventilation frequency for winter and summer.
Citation:
- Spalt, E. W., Curl, C. L., Allen, R. W., Cohen, M., Adar, S. D., Stukovsky, K. H., Avol, E., Castro-Diehl, C., Nunn, C., Mancera-Cuevas, K., & Kaufman, J. D. (2016). Time-location patterns of a diverse population of older adults: The Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis and Air Pollution (MESA Air). Journal of Exposure Science & Environmental Epidemiology, 26(4), 349–355. https://doi.org/10.1038/jes.2015.29
- Cohen, M. A., Adar, S. D., Allen, R. W., et al. (2009). Approach to estimating participant pollutant exposures in the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis and Air Pollution (MESA Air). Environmental Science & Technology, 43(13), 4687–4693. https://doi.org/10.1021/es8030837