Prevalence and severity of symptoms of asthma, allergic rhinitis, and eczema in 10- to 15-year-old schoolchildren in central Taiwan.
The International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC) questionnaire was distributed through 14 schools and was completed by 11,874 students out of which are parents of 4,167 children aged between 10 and 12 years old and 7,677 older children aged between 13 and 15 years in central Taiwan. The overall cumulative and 12-month prevalence of wheezing, rhinitis, and eczema were 7.4%, 43.0%, and 7.2%, respectively. It was shown that boys had significantly higher prevalence of wheezing and rhinitis (p < 0.001 and p = 0.001) when compared to girls in central Taiwan. The study also found that prevalence rates among younger children with symptoms of wheezing, rhinitis, and recurrent itchy rash in the past 12-month (8.2%, 44.4%, and 8.8%) were higher than that among older children (6.9%, 42.2%, and 6.3%, respectively). In conclusion, boys had significantly higher prevalence of wheezing and rhinitis than girls while younger children tend to have higher prevalence of the disorders than those that are older in age.
Chiang
Li-Chi
LC
School of Nursing, China Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan.
Chen
Yu-Huan
YH
Hsueh
Kai-Chung
KC
Huang
Jing-Long
JL
D000293:Adolescent; D001249:Asthma / Q000453:epidemiology*; D002648:Child; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003876:Dermatitis, Atopic / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D015995:Prevalence; D006255:Rhinitis, Allergic, Seasonal / Q000453:epidemiology*; D012574:Schools; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D017678:Sex Distribution; D013334:Students; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013624:Taiwan / Q000453:epidemiology