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Childhood asthma and the indoor environment
C Dekker1, R Dales, S Bartlett
1Health Protection Branch, Health and Welfare Canada, Ottawa, Ontario.
Chest
|October 1, 1991
Summary
Indoor air quality significantly impacts children's respiratory health. Factors like secondhand smoke, home dampness, gas stoves, and humidifiers are linked to increased asthma and wheezing in Canadian schoolchildren.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Health
- Pediatric Respiratory Medicine
- Epidemiology
Background:
- Indoor air quality is a critical determinant of respiratory health, particularly in vulnerable populations like children.
- Childhood asthma is a prevalent chronic condition influenced by various environmental exposures.
- Understanding specific indoor environmental risk factors is crucial for developing targeted public health interventions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine the association between indoor environmental factors and the prevalence of physician-diagnosed asthma in Canadian schoolchildren.
- To investigate the relationship between indoor air quality indicators and symptoms of wheezing in young children.
- To identify potentially modifiable risk factors within the home environment contributing to childhood respiratory illnesses.
Main Methods:
- A large-scale questionnaire-based study involving 17,962 Canadian schoolchildren (kindergarten to grade 2).
- Data collected in 1988 focused on indoor environmental exposures and respiratory health outcomes.
- Statistical analysis, including odds ratios (OR), was used to assess associations between exposures and conditions like asthma and wheezing.
Main Results:
- Physician-diagnosed asthma showed significant associations with environmental tobacco smoke (OR=1.4), damp homes (OR=1.5), gas cooking (OR=2.0), and humidifier use (OR=1.7).
- Wheezing, irrespective of asthma diagnosis, was linked to environmental tobacco smoke (OR=1.4), home dampness (OR=1.6), and humidifier use (OR=1.4).
- Gas cooking was not significantly associated with wheezing alone, but was a strong predictor for diagnosed asthma.
Conclusions:
- Several modifiable indoor environmental factors, including exposure to secondhand smoke and home dampness, are significantly associated with increased risk of childhood asthma and wheezing.
- Gas cooking and humidifier use also represent potential risk factors for respiratory issues in children.
- These findings highlight the importance of indoor air quality in pediatric respiratory health and suggest areas for further investigation and intervention.