Association of area socioeconomic status with lung function in children.
OBJECTIVE
The study investigates the association between area-level socioeconomic status (SES) and children's lung function.


METHODS
Participants were 3994 seventh grade students from the Taiwan Children Health Study living in 14 communities in Taiwan and were recruited in 2007. Area-level SES predictors were population size, occupation type, income and education level. Hierarchical linear models (HLM) were used to examine the effects of area-level SES on lung function, after accounting for area air pollution and individual SES (parental education and family income).


RESULTS
Areas with high income were independently associated with lower child lung function. The coefficients for log transformation of area tax per person in HLM were -47.8 (95% confidence interval (CI): -80.9, -14.8) in FEV(1), -43.8 (95% CI: -75.2, -12.5) in FVC, -93.4 (95% CI: -179.3, -7.5) in FEF(25-75) and -203.2 (95% CI: -349.1, -57.2) in PEF. All SES predictors influenced in the same direction and affected males more. The interaction of area tax per person with parental educational level was significant on PEF, suggesting significant association of greater parental education with lower lung function in children.


CONCLUSIONS
High area SES was inversely associated with lung function in Taiwanese children.
Department of Family Medicine, Taipei City Hospital, Renai Branch, Taipei, Taiwan.
Yi-Fan
YF
Wu
Cho-Kai
CK
Wu
Duan-Rung
DR
Chen
Wei-Chu
WC
Chie
Yungling Leo
YL
Lee
D000397:Air Pollution / Q000009:adverse effects; D002648:Child; D016001:Confidence Intervals; D005541:Forced Expiratory Volume / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D016014:Linear Models; D008168:Lung / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D010366:Peak Expiratory Flow Rate / Q000502:physiology; D012129:Respiratory Function Tests; D012923:Social Class; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013624:Taiwan; D014797:Vital Capacity / Q000502:physiology