Evaluation of a Novel Ambient Light Survey Question in the Cancer Prevention Study-3

• Authors: Ryan W Diver, American Cancer Society; Mariana G Figueiro, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai; Mark S Rea, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai; James M Hodge, American Cancer Society; William Flanders, Emory University; Charlie Zhong, American Cancer Society; Alpa V Patel, American Cancer Society; Susan M Gapstur, American Cancer Society
• Journal Title: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
• Volume: Volume 20, Number 4
• Publisher: MDPI | 2023-02-01
• Type of Work: Article | Final Publisher PDF
• Publisher DOI: http://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20043658
• Subjects: Health Sciences, Epidemiology; Health Sciences, Public Health
• Keywords: ambient light; circadian disruption; illuminance; survey; validation; Male; Humans; Female; Neoplasms; Surveys and Questionnaires; Self Report; Darkness; Lighting

Abstract

Nighttime light exposure may increase cancer risk by disrupting the circadian system. However, there is no well-established survey method for measuring ambient light. In the Cancer Prevention Study-3, 732 men and women answered a light survey based on seven environments. The light environment in the past year was assessed twice, one year apart, and four one-week diaries were collected between the annual surveys. A total of 170 participants wore a meter to measure photopic illuminance and circadian stimulus (CS). Illuminance and CS values were estimated for lighting environments from measured values and evaluated with a cross validation approach. The kappas for self-reported light environment comparing the two annual surveys were 0.61 on workdays and 0.49 on non-workdays. Kappas comparing the annual survey to weekly diaries were 0.71 and 0.57 for work and non-workdays, respectively. Agreement was highest for reporting of darkness (95.3%), non-residential light (86.5%), and household light (75.6%) on workdays. Measured illuminance and CS identified three peaks of light (darkness, indoor lighting, and outdoor daytime light). Estimated illuminance and CS were correlated with the measured values overall (r = 0.77 and r = 0.67, respectively) but were less correlated within each light environment (r = 0.23–0.43). The survey has good validity to assess ambient light for studies of human health.