title: Respiratory health in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in the Australian Capital Territory.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To measure the prevalence of respiratory symptoms and atopic disease in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (indigenous) and non-indigenous children in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT).
  
  
  METHODS
  A two-stage questionnaire survey of children in the ACT with stage two completed for children identified by parents as having respiratory symptoms or asthma in the first stage cross-sectional survey. Participants in the study were: (i) all new entrant primary schoolchildren aged 4-6 years in 1999, 2000 and 2001, 217 being indigenous children and 10 604 being non-indigenous children (80% of eligible); and (ii) Year 1-6 primary schoolchildren in 2000, with 216 being indigenous children and 14 202 being non-indigenous children (52% of eligible). Respiratory symptoms (including recent wheeze and parent-reported asthma) and other factors were measured by parental questionnaire.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Indigenous kindergarten children had more recent wheeze (21%, odds ratio (OR) 1.4 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.0-2.0)) and parent-reported asthma (24%, OR 1.8 95% CI 1.3-2.5) than non-indigenous children (both 15%). However, indigenous children had less eczema (25%, OR 0.7 95% CI 0.5-0.9) and hayfever (14%, OR 0.7 95% CI 0.5-1.0) than non-indigenous children (32% and 19%, respectively). Among children with respiratory symptoms, the symptom severity did not differ between groups, but indigenous children were exposed to more environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) (63%, OR 3.5 95% CI 2.1-5.9) than non-indigenous children (32%).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Indigenous children in the ACT have more respiratory morbidity but less of the atopic diseases of hayfever and eczema than non-indigenous children. Whether the respiratory morbidity represents 'asthma' or results from increased ETS exposure is unclear and needs to be further explored.
authors.affiliation: Academic Unit of General Practice and Community Care, Canberra Clinical School of the University of Sydney, Canberra, Australia. Nicholas.Glasgow@calvary-act.com.au
authors.forename: N J
authors.initials: NJ
authors.lastname: Glasgow
authors.forename: E A
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Goodchild
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Yates
authors.forename: A-L
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Ponsonby
mesh_terms: D020958:Australian Capital Territory / Q000453:epidemiology; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012140:Respiratory Tract Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires