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Published on: August 7, 2017
[Indoor air quality and parents of asthmatic children practices]
S Larramendy Magnin1, B Desssome2, L Moret3
1Département de médecine générale, faculté de médecine de Nantes, 1, rue Gaston-Veil, 44035 Nantes cedex, France.
Insights
Parents of asthmatic children often fail to implement recommendations to reduce indoor air pollution, except for smoking. Targeted education for general practitioners and specialist consultations are needed to improve adherence and protect children
Area of Science:
- Environmental Health
- Pediatric Asthma Management
- Public Health Interventions
Background:
- Indoor air pollution is a significant trigger for childhood asthma exacerbations.
- Understanding parental practices and adherence to recommendations is crucial for effective asthma management.
- Limited knowledge exists regarding factors influencing parents' adoption of strategies to reduce indoor air pollutants in homes with asthmatic children.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate current household practices impacting indoor air quality among parents of asthmatic children.
- To identify factors associated with the adoption or non-adoption of recommendations for reducing indoor air pollution.
- To inform strategies for improving the implementation of public health messages for this vulnerable population.
Main Methods:
- A descriptive study was conducted using anonymous, self-administered questionnaires.
- The study included parents of asthmatic children aged 3 to 16 years.
- Data were collected from May to September 2013 in various clinical and educational settings.
Main Results:
- While most parents (88.2%) avoided smoking indoors, significant proportions used home fragrances (48.4%) or cleaning products (32.6%) weekly.
- Good ventilation practices in children's bedrooms were more common in rural settings (OR=4.72).
- Adherence to recommendations varied, with smoking cessation being high, but use of fragrances and cleaning products less controlled, influenced by socioeconomic factors and healthcare provider type.
Conclusions:
- Parental practices regarding indoor air pollution, excluding smoking, largely mirror those of the general population.
- Recommendations to limit chemical pollutant sources are poorly implemented among parents of asthmatic children.
- Enhanced specialist consultations and targeted training for general practitioners are recommended to improve the reach of public health advice.
Background:
Indoor air pollution can worsen asthma in children. Better knowledge of factors determining parents' reception of recommendations to limit pollution of indoor air in the homes of asthmatic children would be helpful to improve implementation.
Method:
A descriptive study evaluating practices known to have an impact on the quality of air in homes was conducted among parents of asthmatic children aged 3 to 16 years. From May to September 2013, parents answered anonymous self-administered questionnaires in waiting rooms of generalist practitioners, in the Nantes University pneumology pediatric outpatient clinic, and as part of therapeutic education sessions conducted by the Asthma-44 Network.
Results:
There were 190 exploitable questionnaires: 88.2% of parents reported never smoking in the home; 48.4% used home fragrance in the living room at least once a week; 77.8% opened their children's bedroom windows more than 10minutes at least once a day; 32.6% used several cleaning products or bleach once or twice a week. Good practices concerning smoking in housing were applied less in homes where the child was monitored only by a general practitioner (OR=0.08; CI[0.02-0.34]). Good practices on the use of perfume were statistically linked to having an intermediate level occupation (OR=2.31; CI[1.01-5.32]) and being followed by the university hospital, by the asthma network or by a general practitioner if the child had already consulted a pneumo-pediatrician or an allergist (OR=0.24; CI[0.07-0.81]). Good ventilation practices forchildren's bedrooms were statistically linked to residing in a rural rather than urban setting (OR=4.72; CI[1.0-22.16]).
Conclusion:
Practices observed in parents of asthmatic children differ little from those of the general population. Recommendations on how to limit sources of chemical pollutants, with the exception of smoking, are still poorly applied. Specialist consultations and specific training for general practitioners should improve the penetration of public health messages to this vulnerable population.
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