Residential environmental risk factors for childhood asthma prevalence in metropolitan and semirural cities in Korea

Gyu Seok Hwang, Jae Wook Choi, Young Yoo, Ji Tae Choung, Chung Sik Yoon

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

6 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

To identify the association between residential environmental risk factors and the prevalence of childhood asthma, the authors surveyed the prevalence of asthma, the residential environmental risk factors of 1819 elementary school students, and air pollution in metropolitan (Seongbuk), and semirural (Andong) areas. Although there was no significant difference in the prevalence of self-reported asthma (SA) between the 2 geographic areas (12.8% vs 13.6%), the prevalence of physician-diagnosed asthma (PDA) in Andong (15.0%) was significantly higher than that in Seongbuk (6.8%). After adjusting for confounding factors, logistic regression suggested that there were significant differences in size of the house (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 1.82), medical insurance (aOR = 2.59), and number of residents in the household (aOR = 1.54) between the SA and non-SA groups. There was a significant difference in the area of residence (aOR = 2.12) between the PDA and non-PDA groups. In conclusion, residential environmental risk factors and the area of residence affect the prevalence of childhood asthma.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)58-67
Number of pages10
JournalAsia-Pacific Journal of Public Health
Volume24
Issue number1
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2012 Jan
Externally publishedYes

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
This study was supported by Research Fund of Environmental Health Center Project (2007), Ministry of Environment, Republic of Korea.

Keywords

  • air pollution
  • asthma
  • child
  • prevalence
  • risk factors

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health

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