Effects of indoor environmental factors on risk for acute otitis media in a subtropical area.
The objective of this study was to examine the relationship between indoor environmental factors and acute otitis media in a subtropical area. A case-control study was performed using participants from a prevalence survey that included 219 school children with acute otitis media and 219 age- and gender-matched controls. The study was confined to 4164 primary school children aged 6-12 yr attending 8 primary schools in Kaohsiung rural municipalities who participated in a prevalence study of the health effects of an indoor environment. An acute otitis media case was defined as a child with acute symptoms (presenting with earache, fever, irritability, and/or discharge from the ear) diagnosed by a physician in the previous year. Controls selected from the same school did not have chronic or acute respiratory illness or an ear-related illness during the same period. Information regarding the home environment was obtained using a structured written questionnaire, completed by the parents of the children. Of the many indoor environmental factors included in this study, only living in a home with indications of dampness (mold, flooding, home dampness) showed an association with acute otitis media. It was concluded that dampness in the home is a new public health issue in subtropical areas.
Yang
C Y
CY
School of Public Health, Kaohsiung Medical College, Taiwan, Republic of China. chunyuh@cc.kmc.edu.tw
Cheng
M F
MF
Tsai
S S
SS
Hung
C F
CF
Lai
T C
TC
Hwang
K C
KC
D000208:Acute Disease; D016902:Air Pollution, Indoor / Q000009:adverse effects*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D016017:Odds Ratio; D010033:Otitis Media / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology*; D012306:Risk; D012307:Risk Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013624:Taiwan / Q000453:epidemiology