Asthma,rhinitis and eczema(allergic or non-allergic)have increased throughout the world during the last decades,especially among children.Changes in the indoor environment are suspected to be important causes.China has experienced a dramatic change in indoor environmental exposures during the past two decades.However,such changes and their associations with children’s asthma and other health aspects have not been thoroughly studied.China,Children,Homes,Health(CCHH),Phase I,was a cross-sectional questionnaire survey of 48219 children 1–8 years old in 10 Chinese cities during 2010–2012.The questionnaire includes the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood(ISAAC)core health questions and additional questions regarding housing,life habits and outdoor environment.In health analyses,children aged 3–6 years old were included.The prevalences of doctor diagnosed asthma varied from 1.7%to 9.8%(mean 6.8%),a large increase from 0.91%in 1999 and 1.50%in2000.The prevalence of wheeze,rhinitis and atopic eczema(last 12 months)varied from 13.9%to 23.7%,24.0%to 50.8%and4.8%to 15.8%,respectively.Taiyuan had the lowest prevalences of all illnesses and Shanghai the highest,except for wheezewhere the highest value was for Urumqi.We found(1)no obvious association between disease prevalences and ambient PM10concentrations and(2)higher prevalences of disease in humid climates with hot summers and cold winters,but with no centrally heated buildings.Associations between the diseases and economic status as indexed by Gross Domestic Product(GDP)requires further study.
This study evaluated the prevalence and risk factors for asthma,allergy and related symptoms;and breastfeeding patterns and durations for 5479 Beijing children aged 3–6.Parents of children in randomly selected kindergartens wrote responses to a questionnaire used previously.The study aimed to evaluate trends in the prevalence of asthma and related illnesses,and to determine whether"more"breastfeeding,defined as exclusive,>6 months,was associated with reduced prevalence.Asthma has increased in this age group between 1990 and 2011,with the steepest increase in the last 2–3 years.Of the total,14.2%(779)children were breastfed exclusively for>6 months.The efficacy of"more"breastfeeding was tested in a subset with two strong risk factors,positive family history(for asthma and/or allergy)and male gender."More"breastfeeding was found to be significantly protective(aOR 0.42,P<0.05)for this subset against Doctor-diagnosed asthma(D-asthma).Protection that did not reach statistical significance was also found for this subset against Wheeze ever,Cough at night,Rhinitis ever,Doctor-diagnosed rhinitis(D-rhinitis)and Eczema.The greatest protective effects were found for girls with no family history of asthma or allergy,reaching statistical significance for Wheeze ever(aOR 0.48,P<0.01),Cough at night(aOR 0.47,P<0.01),D-asthma(aOR 0.14,P<0.01)and Rhinitis ever(aOR 0.67,P<0.05)."More"breastfeeding was not consistently associated with either a protective or risk effect for Eczema.
Atopic eczema is a common health problem in children.The prevalence has increased in the past decades.Besides a genetic predisposition,lifestyle factors,dietary habits and indoor environments are thought to be related to its high prevalence.A cross-sectional questionnaire study was carried out in 2011 in the Wuhan area to study associations between home environments and children’s health.The questionnaires were replied to by parents of 2193 children 1 8 years old and the response rate was91.4%(2193/2400).The results show:(1)The prevalence of"eczema symptom ever that lasted for 6 months"was 23.2%;"eczema symptom in the last 12 months"7.4%and"awake at night due to itchy rash"3.4%.(2)Risk factors:Closer to business area(AOR 1.4),moisture related problems(AOR 1.3 2.2),moldy and stuffy odor perception(AOR 1.5),mice observed(AOR 1.8),pet keeping(AOR 1.3),exposure to environmental tobacco smoke(AOR 1.3)and incense(AOR 1.8)were significant risk factors for atopic eczema symptoms ever.Living in an apartment,compared to single family house,was related to more eczema symptom in the last 12 months.Damp clothing/bed sheets and perception of stuffy odor were risk factors for both"eczema symptom in the last 12 months"and"awake due to itchy rash(severe eczema)".The odds ratio of mice observed for severe eczema was 3.1(95%CI:1.4 6.7).It suggests that urbanization,life style and dampness problems at home were significant risk factors for eczema symptoms among children in Wuhan,China.
Indoor environmental quality is suspected to be at least part of the cause of the increasing prevalence of childhood asthma and allergy.This study is part of the China,Children,Homes,Health(CCHH)project,which was designed to identify the risk factors indoors that are associated with prevalence of asthma and allergy among children in China.A cross-sectional questionnaire study was carried out in Wuhan in 2011.The questionnaire was a modified(to Chinese building characteristics)version of a questionnaire used first in Sweden.The parents of 2193 children,aged 1–8 years,replied,a response rate of 91.4%(2193/2400).Prevalences of asthma and allergic symptoms were calculated,and a Chi-square test and multiple logistic regression were used to identify risk factors.Prevalences of health outcomes are"wheezing last 12 months"18.5%,"cough at night last 12 months"15.4%,"doctor-diagnosed asthma"6.0%,"rhinitis last 12 months"48.7%,"doctor-diagnosed allergic rhinitis"17.5%.Factors associated with increased risk for asthma,allergy and related symptoms include living in an urban area,dampness(significant),use of gas for cooking,new dwelling decoration(paint and furniture obtained during pregnancy),keeping pets and breast feeding less than 3months.Factors associated with reduced risk as installing an exhaust fan in the bathroom.Home environmental factors are significantly associated with the prevalence of childhood asthma and rhinitis in Wuhan.Urbanization and dampness problems at home are significant risk factors for doctor diagnosed asthma and allergic rhinitis among children in Wuhan.
