[Greenness and health at school: the case study in Palermo (Southern Italy) within the Climactions project]

green areas are often present in the space surrounding primary schools, where they are usually used as playing/recreation or sport areas. Regular maintenance of such areas may help reduce the risk of allergic reactions and asthma exacerbations in children.

to evaluate the effects on the respiratory and allergic health of children in a primary school in the city of Palermo (Sicily Region, Southern Italy) following a maintenance intervention in the adjacent green area.

non-randomized, controlled, longitudinal intervention study.

all the children attending the third, fourth, and fifth grades (7-11 years) of the Orestano school institute (No. 211) were invited to participate in the study.

on 14.03.2022, the children completed a questionnaire on sociodemographic characteristics and the presence of symptoms/exposure to secondhand smoke in the last 7 days. On 21.03.2022, maintenance was carried out on the green area adjacent to the San Ciro building, but not the Conte Federico building. On 08.04.2022, the children filled out the questionnaire again. The pre-post variation in symptom prevalence was compared between the two buildings using logistic regression models with mixed effects, adjusted for sex, age, and exposure to secondhand smoke, with time-building interaction effects.

the study was completed by 132 children (50% San Ciro). Statistically significant increases in the prevalence of nasal and general symptoms were observed in San Ciro, while also ocular and respiratory symptoms increased in Conte Federico. Exposure to secondhand smoke was associated with a greater risk of skin (OR: 2.38), nasal (OR: 2.1), respiratory (OR: 5.47), and general (OR: 3.07) symptoms. The pre-post increase in the prevalence of ocular and respiratory symptoms was significantly greater in the Conte Federico building.

these preliminary results show that regular green area maintenance, with weed removal and pruning scheduling, can help reduce respiratory and allergy symptoms in primary school children.