title: [Asthma prevalence and risk factors in schoolchildren of the city of São Paulo, Brazil].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess asthma prevalence and potential risk factors associated.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cross-sectional study part of the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood. A total of 561 schoolchildren aged 6-7 years from 35 public schools in the city of São Paulo (Southeastern Brazil) were drawn to participate in the study, in 2002. The sample consisted of 168 asthmatic and 393 non-asthmatic children who answered a questionnaire comprising 33 questions on personal, family and environmental information. The association between asthma and the risk factors studied was assessed by logistic regression analysis at a 5% statistical significance.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Among the schoolchildren studied, 31.2% reported wheezing in the 12 months preceding the interview. The following risk factors were significantly associated with asthma: male gender (OR=2.4; 95% CI: 1.4;4.2), maternal smoking in the child's first year of life (OR=2.0; 95% CI: 1.1;3.8), eczema on characteristic body areas (OR=3.0; 95% CI: 1.2;7.6) and rhinoconjunctivitis (OR=2.4; 95% CI: 1.2;4.8).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Asthma prevalence in the study area was high and the risk factors identified were male gender, rhinoconjunctivitis in last year, maternal smoking in the child's first year of life and eczema on characteristic body areas.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Pediatria, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de São Paulo, Rua Dr Enéas de Carvalho Aguiar 647, São Paulo, SP, Brazil. recasag@terra.com.br
authors.forename: Rejane R D
authors.initials: RR
authors.lastname: Casagrande
authors.forename: Antonio C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Pastorino
authors.forename: Renata G L
authors.initials: RG
authors.lastname: Souza
authors.forename: Cláudio
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Leone
authors.forename: Dirceu
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Solé
authors.forename: Cristina M A
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Jacob
mesh_terms: D001249:Asthma / Q000453:epidemiology*; D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology; D002648:Child; D004812:Epidemiologic Methods; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012135:Respiratory Sounds