• The COVID-19 pandemic and climate change (syndemic) changed behavior and society. • Developed CCABS: a framework on syndemic impacts on behaviour and society. • Syndemic influences outdoor activity and transportation choices in complex ways. • Syndemic led to enhanced air quality management system and greening of urban spaces. • Economy transitioned to digital, hybrid, and low carbon. The COVID-19 pandemic and climate change, referred to as “syndemic,” have triggered widespread behavioral and societal changes with implications for ambient air pollution exposure. To understand how syndemic interacts with air pollution exposure, this umbrella review synthesized evidence on individual-level behaviors and system-level social factors that impact and are impacted by the syndemic , with particular attention to their associations with ambient air pollution exposure. We conducted a systematic search across five databases to study behavioral and social factors as either exogenous or endogenous variables associated with the syndemic . Both quantitative and qualitative methods were employed to conduct descriptive and thematic analyses of the findings. Findings across 63 review studies identified two overarching domains (human behavior, society), including three behavioral themes (physical activity, travel, and protective strategies), four social themes (public health, urban planning, neighborhood/housing, and social gradients), and 32 subthemes across the domains, derived through a structured, iterative thematic analysis of included reviews. The findings highlight complex behavioral and social shifts that occur both similarly and uniquely in response to the syndemic , which may lead to either greater or reduced individual exposure to air pollution depending on contexts and factors such as mobility patterns, public policies, and environmental conditions. Based on patterns identified across the included reviews, a conceptual framework was suggested to illustrate the relationship between syndemic conditions and behavioral and social dynamics affecting air pollution exposure. The results emphasize the need for integrated, long-term policies that simultaneously promote public health, climate resilience, and effective air quality management.
Jung et al. (Fri,) studied this question.