[Prevalence of atopic eczema and nutritional factors in 6-7 year old children].
OBJECTIVE
To describe the prevalence of atopic eczema (AE) and to find the characteristics of the diet of children with AE.


METHODS
Descriptive, transversal study.


METHODS
Primary schools.


METHODS
The study used the standardized and validated questionnaire of the ISAAC phase III study, which finds the prevalence of AE in children and enables inter-centre comparison to be conducted. A questionnaire about food consumption was included. The prevalence ratio (PR) of AE and food consumption (95% confidence intervals) was calculated.


RESULTS
A total of 28 448 children aged 6-7 were included in the study. The prevalence of clinically diagnosed AE was 15.35% in boys and 15.24% in girls. The foods most often consumed were: dairy and cereals, followed by rice, pasta, and eggs. The least consumed were: butter, margarine, and fast food. The PR for children who consumed pasta was (PR=1.35), seafood (PR=1.28), cereals (PR=1.26), eggs (PR=1.13), and meat (PR=1.09).


CONCLUSIONS
The prevalence of AE in Spain was 15.3%, and was associated with food consumption. The consumption of dairy products, cereals, and olive oil was appropriate. The intake of fruit, vegetables, seafood, and legumes was below the recommended amounts. Future studies on the question are needed.
Unidad de Salud Pública, Higiene y Sanidad Ambiental, Departamento de Medicina Preventiva, Universidad de Valencia, Spain. maria.m.morales@uv.es
María M
MM
Morales Suárez-Varela
Luis
L
García-Marcos Alvarez
Carlos
C
González Díaz
Alberto
A
Arnedo Pena
Begoña
B
Domínguez Aurrecoechea
Rosa M
RM
Busquets Monge
Alfredo
A
Blanco Quiros
José
J
Batlles Garrido
Izaskun
I
Miner Canflanca
Angel
A
López-Silvarrey Varela
Antonio
A
Martínez Gimeno
Inés
I
Aguinagua Ontoso
Agustín
A
Llopis González
María C
MC
Jiménez López
D000367:Age Factors; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D002648:Child; D017326:Clinical Trials, Phase III as Topic; D016001:Confidence Intervals; D018592:Cross-Over Studies; D003876:Dermatitis, Atopic / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D015995:Prevalence; D012737:Sex Factors; D013030:Spain / Q000453:epidemiology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires