Risk factors for acute respiratory tract infections in young Greenlandic children

Area of Science:

• Pediatrics
• Public Health
• Epidemiology

Background:

• Acute respiratory infections (ARIs) are a significant cause of illness in Inuit children.
• Limited data exists on specific risk factors for ARIs within this population.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify risk factors associated with upper and lower respiratory tract infections in Inuit children aged 0-2 years.
• To inform public health strategies aimed at reducing ARI incidence.

Main Methods:

• Prospective, community-based study of an open cohort of 288 Inuit children in Sisimiut, Greenland (July 1996 - August 1998).
• Weekly monitoring for upper and lower respiratory tract infections.
• Multivariate Poisson regression analysis adjusted for age to determine risk factors.

Main Results:

• Risk factors for upper respiratory tract infections included attending child-care centers and sharing bedrooms with adults.
• Risk factors for lower respiratory tract infections included male sex, attending child-care, passive smoking exposure, and sharing bedrooms with other children.
• Breastfeeding showed a protective trend against lower respiratory tract infections.
• Passive smoking and child-care centers accounted for substantial population-attributable risk for lower respiratory tract infections (47% and 48%, respectively).

Conclusions:

• Child-care attendance, passive smoking, and specific sleeping arrangements are significant risk factors for ARIs in Inuit children.
• Public health interventions targeting these factors could substantially reduce ARI incidence.
• Further research into protective factors like breastfeeding is warranted.