Journal
JOURNAL OF PAEDIATRICS AND CHILD HEALTH
Volume 45, Issue 6, Pages 375-383Publisher
WILEY
DOI: 10.1111/j.1440-1754.2009.01504.x
Keywords
antibiotic; asthma; cross-sectional survey; diet; paracetamol; risk factor
Categories
Funding
- Hawke's Bay Medical Research Foundation
- Waikato Medical Research Foundation
- Child Health Research Foundation
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Aim: To identify risk factors for asthma in primary school-aged children in New Zealand. Methods: A cross-sectional survey of 10 873 6-7-year-old children in Auckland, Bay of Plenty, Nelson and Christchurch (a response rate of 85.2%). A questionnaire was completed by the parent or care giver. Results: 22.2% of children wheezed in the last 12 months (current wheeze). Maori children were at greater risk of current wheeze compared with European children (adjusted odds ratio (adjOR) = 1.37; 95% confidence interval = 1.18-1.59). Antibiotics and paracetamol used in the first year of life were associated with an increased risk of current wheeze (adjOR = 1.78 (1.56-2.04) and adjOR = 1.31 (1.06-1.61), respectively). Watching television for 5 or more hours per day was associated with an increased risk of current wheeze (adjOR = 1.44 (1.13-1.83)). Milk and egg consumption in the last 12 months was associated with a reduced risk of current wheeze. Conclusions: This study has identified risk factors for asthma in children aged 6-7 years, although causal pathways cannot be established. These associations have important public health implications if causal.
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