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Environmental factors and asthma and allergy in schoolchildren from Western Australia
L J Palmer1, I J Valinsky, T Pikora
1Dept of Paediatrics, University of Western Australia, Perth, Australia.
Insights
Environmental factors significantly impact childhood atopic diseases like asthma and eczema. Factors such as birthplace and housing materials are linked to increased risks in Australian children.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Health
- Pediatric Allergy
- Epidemiology
Background:
- The link between environmental exposures and atopic diseases in children is not well understood.
- Atopic diseases, including asthma, hay fever, and eczema, are prevalent in childhood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between socio-environmental factors and symptoms of asthma and atopy.
- To assess these associations in 6-7-year-old children in Perth, Western Australia.
Main Methods:
- A parental questionnaire was administered to 2,193 children across 34 primary schools.
- Data were analyzed for associations between environmental factors and disease symptoms, controlling for socioeconomic status, age, and sex.
Main Results:
- Children born in Australia had a significantly higher risk of current asthma (OR 237).
- Mothers born in Australia were associated with increased hay fever risk (OR 1.56).
- Increased household size correlated with decreased asthma and eczema risk. Fibrocement housing and specific flooring (mats vs. carpet) were linked to higher eczema risk.
Conclusions:
- Household and country-specific environmental factors are associated with asthma, hay fever, and eczema risk in young schoolchildren.
- These factors may have contributed to the high prevalence of atopic diseases in Australia.
Abstract:
The association of environmental factors with atopic disease in children remains poorly understood. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between socio-environmental factors and symptoms of asthma and atopy in 6-7-yr-old children assessed as an adjunct to Phase I of the International Study of Asthma and Allergy in Childhood in Perth, Western Australia. Parental questionnaire responses were obtained for 2,193 children (73.6%) in 34 randomly selected primary schools in the Perth metropolitan area. Children born in Australia had a significantly increased risk of current asthma (odds ratio (OR) 237, p = 0.001). Having a mother born in Australia was the only factor independently associated with an increased risk of current hay fever (OR 1.56, p = 0.005). Increasing numbers of people living in the home were significantly associated with a multiplicative decrease in risk of current asthma (OR 0.88, p = 0.03) and eczema (OR 0.82, p = 0.01). Houses made of fibrocement (OR 2.40, p = 0.02) and the presence of mats on less than half of the floor area in the "main bedroom" (relative to wall-to-wall carpet) (OR 3.50, p = 0.003) were associated with an increased risk of current eczema. All reported associations were independent of socioeconomic status (categorized by school), age and sex. This study suggests that household and country-specific environmental factors are associated with asthma, hay fever and eczema risk in 6-7-yr-old schoolchildren, and may have substantially contributed to the increased prevalence of these diseases in Australia.