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Factors Associated with the Development of Childhood Asthma in Japan: A Nationwide Longitudinal Study
Masakazu Furuhata1, Yuichiro Otsuka2, Yoshitaka Kaneita1
1Division of Public Health, Department of Social Medicine, Nihon University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan.
Insights
Parental smoking is a major risk factor for childhood asthma. Low birth weight infants face specific risks, including being male and having older siblings, though low birth weight itself isn't linked to asthma after age six.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Health
- Pediatrics
- Epidemiology
Background:
- Asthma development is influenced by various environmental factors, but key determinants of childhood onset remain unclear.
- The incidence of low-birth-weight births has been increasing in Japan.
- Understanding risk factors for childhood asthma, particularly in relation to birth weight, is crucial.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify risk factors associated with childhood asthma incidence.
- To investigate whether these risk factors differ between infants with normal and low birth weights.
- To analyze data from a national longitudinal survey in Japan.
Main Methods:
- Utilized the National Longitudinal Survey data from 2001 to 2010.
- Employed multiple logistic regression analyses to assess various factors.
- Examined the impact of gender, birth weight, birth order, parental smoking, income, and other demographic variables on asthma-related hospital visits.
Main Results:
- Identified significant risk factors for asthma-related hospital visits, including low birth weight (<2500g), male gender, older siblings, parental smoking, maternal age, and low household income.
- Parental smoking behavior emerged as a key risk factor for asthma development.
- Among low birth weight infants, being male, having older siblings, and paternal smoking were significant predictors.
Conclusions:
- Parental smoking is a primary risk factor for childhood asthma.
- Specific factors like gender, sibling status, and paternal smoking are predictive in low birth weight infants.
- Low birth weight was not significantly associated with asthma development beyond six years of age.
Introduction:
Many environmental factors are related to the development of asthma. However, the key factors of childhood asthma onset have not been sufficiently elucidated. Further, low-weight births have increased in Japan. The aim of this study was to examine the risk factors for the incidence of childhood asthma and to evaluate whether these risk factors differ according to birth weight in Japan.
Methods:
We used the National Longitudinal Survey from 2001 to 2010. Multiple logistic regression analyses were conducted to determine the effects of gender, birth weight, single vs. multiple births, birth order, nutrition, keeping pets in the home, place of residence, annual household income, and parent ages, smoking behaviors, and educational backgrounds on asthma-related hospital visits.
Results:
Overall, 45,060 children were analyzed. The rate of cumulative hospital visits until age 10 was 18.9%. Birth weight < 2500 g (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 1.14, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.03-1.26), being a boy (AOR = 1.27, 95% CI 1.21-1.33), having older siblings (AOR = 1.07, 95% CI 1.02-1.14), parental smoking behavior, mother`s age, and low household income (AOR = 1.17, 95% CI 1.10-1.24) were associated with asthma-related hospital visits.
Discussion:
Parental smoking behavior is a key risk factor for the development of asthma. Among low birth weight infants, being a boy, having older siblings, and father`s smoking behavior were predictive factors for the development of asthma. However, low birth weight was not associated with the development of asthma after 6 years of age.
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