Asthma attributable to nitrogen dioxide in the population under 20 years of age in Mexico: a spatiotemporal analysis of incidence and emergency department visits, 2007–2019

This dataset contains the processed data and analytical outputs used to estimate the burden of asthma attributable to long-term exposure to nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) among individuals under 20 years of age in Mexico for the period 2007–2019.
The dataset integrates multiple data sources, including satellite-derived NO₂ concentration estimates, population data, and epidemiological information from national health surveillance systems. NO₂ concentrations were derived from satellite products and spatially processed to generate annual mean values at a resolution of approximately 0.0083° (~1 km). These values were subsequently aggregated at the municipal level using population-weighted averages to better represent exposure in inhabited areas.
Health data include state-level asthma incidence rates, asthma prevalence, and proportions of individuals with asthma who reported at least one emergency department visit during the previous year. These data were used to estimate expected cases and emergency department visits at the municipal level.
Using these inputs, the dataset includes the following derived variables:
- Estimated population under 20 years of age by municipality and year
- Population-weighted annual NO₂ concentrations (µg/m³)
- Estimated asthma incidence attributable to NO₂ exposure
- Estimated emergency department visits attributable to NO₂ exposure
- Attributable fractions based on concentration–response functions
- Annual and cumulative incidence and emergency visit rates per 100,000 population
- Classification of municipalities by type of urban system (metropolitan areas, municipal metropolises, conurbated zones, and other municipalities)
Additionally, the dataset includes results from hypothetical NO₂ reduction scenarios for the year 2019, in which exposure levels were capped at the national 90th percentile and at the national population-weighted mean. These scenario outputs provide estimates of potentially avoidable asthma cases and emergency department visits.
All data were processed and analyzed using geographic information systems and statistical software. The dataset is provided in tabular format (CSV), with each record representing a municipality-year observation.
Due to data privacy and regulatory restrictions, individual-level health data are not included. All data are aggregated at the municipal or state level and are suitable for reproducibility and secondary analysis.