Journal
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF HYGIENE AND ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH
Volume 215, Issue 1, Pages 19-25Publisher
ELSEVIER GMBH, URBAN & FISCHER VERLAG
DOI: 10.1016/j.ijheh.2011.07.004
Keywords
Asthma; Cockroach; Environmental tobacco smoke; Moulds; Pet
Funding
- Taiwan National Science Council [98-2314-B-002-138-MY3, 96-2314-B-006-053]
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We aim to explore the relationships between exposure to dampness, pets, and environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) early in life and asthma in Taiwanese children, and to discuss their links to early- and late-onset asthma. We conducted a 1:2 matched case-control study from the Taiwan Children Health Study, which was a nationwide study that recruited 12-to-14 year-old school children in 14 communities. The 579 mothers of the participants were interviewed by telephone about their children's environmental exposures before they were 5 years old, including the in-utero period. Childhood asthma was associated with exposure to early life environmental factors, such as cockroaches (OR = 2.16; 95% Cl, 1.15-4.07), visible mould (OR = 1.75; 95% Cl, 1.15-2.67), mildewy odors (OR = 5.04:95% Cl, 2.42-10.50), carpet (OR = 2.36; 95% Cl, 1.38-4.05), pets (OR = 2.11; 95% Cl, 1.20-3.72), and more than one hour of ETS per day (OR = 1.93; 95% Cl, 1.16-3.23). The ORs for mildewy odors, feather pillows, and ETS during early childhood were greater among children with late-onset asthma. Cockroaches, carpet, pets, and in-utero exposures to ETS affected the timing of early-onset asthma. Exposure to these factors led to dose-responsiveness in the risk of asthma. And the earlier exposures may trigger the earlier onset. Interventions in avoiding these environmental exposures are necessary for early-prevention of childhood asthma. (C) 2011 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.
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