The association between cotton and prevalence of rural childhood asthma.
In the United States, asthma now ranks as the most prevalent chronic disease among children. Within rural cotton-producing regions, a popular belief is that cotton production increases the prevalence of asthma. This case-control study was conducted to determine if the prevalence of asthma is higher in children living in rural cotton-producing countries than in children where cotton production is negligible. No evidence was found to support the belief that cotton production increases the rural childhood prevalence of asthma (P = .12). More importantly, this study did reveal a significantly higher prevalence of asthma among the fifth graders in rural West Texas than the prevalence predicted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (P < .0001).
Kingston
Brian J
BJ
Department of Family Medicine, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center at Amarillo, USA. briank@cortex.ama.ttuhsc.edu
Parchman
Michael L
ML
D001249:Asthma / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology*; D002648:Child; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D003368:Gossypium / Q000009:adverse effects*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D015995:Prevalence; D012424:Rural Population; D013781:Texas / Q000453:epidemiology