title: Lifestyle factors and sensitization in children - the ALADDIN birth cohort.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Several cross-sectional studies indicate that an anthroposophic lifestyle reduces the risk of allergy in children. We initiated the Assessment of Lifestyle and Allergic Disease During Infancy (ALADDIN) birth cohort to elucidate the role of specific factors supposed to mediate this effect. The aims of this study are to describe the ALADDIN cohort and to report patterns of exposure and allergic sensitization during the first years of life.
  
  
  METHODS
  The ALADDIN study is a prospective birth cohort study of 330 children from families with an anthroposophic, partly anthroposophic, or nonanthroposophic lifestyle. The children and their parents were following an extensive data collection scheme, including repeated questionnaires and biological samples. Blood samples were collected from the parents and from the child at birth as well as at 6, 12, and 24 months of age.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Several lifestyle factors differed between the groups, such as diet, medication, and place of delivery. Children of families with an anthroposophic lifestyle had a markedly decreased risk of sensitization during the first 2 years of life compared with children of nonanthroposophic families with adjusted OR 0.25 (95% CI 0.10-0.64) and P-value 0.004. A similar situation held true for children from families with a partly anthroposophic lifestyle, adjusted OR 0.31 (95% CI 0.15-0.54), and P-value 0.002.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The anthroposophic lifestyle comprises several factors of interest for allergy development and is here shown to be associated with reduced risk of IgE sensitization already in infancy. Identifying the factors responsible for this association would be of significant clinical importance.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Science and Education, Karolinska Institutet, Södersjukhuset, Sachs' Children's Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden. fredrik.stenius@sodersjukhuset.se
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Stenius
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Swartz
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Lilja
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Borres
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bottai
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Pershagen
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Scheynius
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Alm
mesh_terms: D002675:Child, Preschool; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005190:Family; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006967:Hypersensitivity / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000276:immunology; D007114:Immunization; D007073:Immunoglobulin E / Q000097:blood; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008019:Life Style; D008297:Male; D011247:Pregnancy; D012307:Risk Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
chemical_list: D007073:Immunoglobulin E