Home renovation, family history of atopy, and respiratory symptoms and asthma among children living in China.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the association of indoor air pollution with the respiratory health of children, we evaluated the associations of children's respiratory symptoms with asthma and recent home renovation.


METHODS
We conducted a cross-sectional survey in a school recruitment sample of 31,049 children aged 2 to 14 years in 25 districts of 7 cities of northeast China in 2008-2009. The children's parents completed standardized questionnaires characterizing the children's histories of respiratory symptoms and illness, recent home renovation information, and other associated risk factors.


RESULTS
The effects of home renovation in the past 2 years were significantly associated with cough, phlegm, current wheeze, doctor-diagnosed asthma, and current asthma. The associations we computed when combining the status of home renovation and family history of atopy were higher than were those predicted from the combination of the separate effects. However, the interactions between home renovation and family history of atopy on a multiplicative scale were not statistically significant (P>.05).


CONCLUSIONS
Home renovation is associated with increases in the prevalence of respiratory symptoms and asthma in children. The effects of different renovation materials on child respiratory health should be studied further.
Guang-Hui Dong, Miao-Miao Liu, and Da Wang are with the Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, School of Public Health, China Medical University, Shenyang, China. Zhengmin (Min) Qian, Edwin Trevathan, and Maayan Simckes are with the Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, St. Louis University, St. Louis, MO. Jing Wang is with the Department of Biostatistics, School of Public Health, St. Louis University. Wan-Hui Ren is with the Department of Ambient Air Pollution Monitoring, Shenyang Environmental Monitoring Center, Shenyang, China. Weiqing Chen is with the Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China. Alan Zelicoff is with the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, School of Public Health, St. Louis University.
Guang-Hui
GH
Dong
Zhengmin Min
ZM
Qian
Jing
J
Wang
Edwin
E
Trevathan
Miao-Miao
MM
Liu
Da
D
Wang
Wan-Hui
WH
Ren
Weiqing
W
Chen
Maayan
M
Simckes
Alan
A
Zelicoff
D000293:Adolescent; D016902:Air Pollution, Indoor / Q000009:adverse effects*; D001249:Asthma / Q000453:epidemiology*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002681:China / Q000453:epidemiology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D005820:Genetic Testing; D006798:Housing / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D015995:Prevalence; D012307:Risk Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires