Farm Exposures and Allergic Disease Among Children Living in a Rural Setting

The purpose of this study was to examine the association between farm exposures and asthma and allergic disease in children while also highlighting the experiences of non-farm rural children.

This was a cross-sectional analysis of data collected from across the province of Saskatchewan, Canada in 2014. Surveys were completed by parents of 2275 rural dwelling children (farm and non-farm) aged 0 to 17 years within 46 rural schools. Questionnaires were distributed through schools for parents to complete.

Asthma prevalence was 7.6%, of which 29.5% of cases were allergic. After adjustment for potential confounders, home location (farm vs non-farm) and other farm exposures were not associated with asthma and asthma phenotypes. Those who completed farm safety education were more likely to have asthma (11.7% vs. 6.7%; p = .001) compared to children without asthma. In sub-analyses among 6-12-year-old children, boys were more likely to have asthma (non-allergic) and use short-acting beta-agonists compared to girls. Doing farm work in the summer was associated with an increased risk of asthma [adjusted OR (aOR) = 1.71 (1.02-2.88); p = .041]. Doing routine chores with large animals was associated with an increased risk of asthma [aOR = 1.83 (1.07-3.15); p = .027] and allergic asthma [aOR = 2.37 (95%CI = 1.04-5.40); p = .04].

The present study showed that the prevalence of asthma and asthma phenotypes were similar between farm and non-farm rural children. There did not appear to be differential involvement in farming activities between those with and without asthma although those with asthma had more training suggesting possible attempts to mitigate harm from farm exposures.