Prevalence and Risk Factors of Atopic Dermatitis in Urban vs. Rural Populations: A Cross-Sectional Study

"Atopic dermatitis (AD)" is a chronic inflammatory skin condition that affects urban and rural populations at different frequencies probably because of environmental and lifestyle differences. These differences become evident and can help steer culturally sensitive individualized interventions.

This cross-sectional study aimed to determine the frequency and associated risk factors of AD in urbanised and rural areas. In our study, 500 Individuals were tested for various factors including environmental exposure, socioeconomic status, family history of AD and lifestyle. The Chi-square test was used to compare categorical variables and statistical significance was defined as P < 0.05.

Urban locality was seen as a strong predictor of AD, with almost threefold more cases in urban populations compared to rural (P = 0.01) and environmental pollution and lack of green areas very significant factors fighting against the health aspects. Rural populations had a lower prevalence of AD but a higher association with agricultural allergens and hygiene-related factors (P = 0.03). Socioeconomic status and family history were significant risk factors in both populations.

The prevalence of AD differs between urban and rural settings, with environmental and lifestyle factors playing a crucial role in its development. Tailored public health strategies are required to mitigate the risk of AD based on specific population characteristics.