title: Prevalence, severity and risk factors of asthma, rhinitis and eczema in a large group of Chinese schoolchildren.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  There is a lack of information on the prevalence, severity and risk factors of asthma, rhinitis and eczema in Chinese children.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To establish baseline data for a major longitudinal study of factors affecting asthma, rhinitis and eczema in a large group of children from the industrialized city of Shijiazhuang, China.
  
  
  METHODS
  We used the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood questionnaire and studied 10 338 children, ages 6-18, from Shijiazhuang.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The prevalence of childhood asthma, rhinitis and eczema is 1.2%, 13.5% and 11.8%, respectively. Boys had higher prevalence of these conditions than girls and younger children had higher prevalence of asthma and eczema but lower prevalence of rhinitis than older children. Breastfed children had lower prevalence of asthma and rhinitis, but not eczema, than non-breastfed children. Overweight children had higher prevalence of asthma and rhinitis than those who were not overweight. Children exposed to paternal smoking had higher prevalence of rhinitis and eczema than those not exposed; children exposed to pets had higher prevalence of asthma and rhinitis than those not exposed.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The prevalence of asthma in this study group is low, but the prevalence of rhinitis is high, and could be considered a major public health problem. The prevalence of asthma, rhinitis and eczema is generally higher in boys and younger children generally have higher prevalence of asthma and eczema but lower prevalence of rhinitis. Exposure to pets is a risk factor for rhinitis, being overweight is a risk factor for asthma and rhinitis, and exposure to parental smoking is a risk factor for asthma, rhinitis and eczema in these children.
authors.affiliation: Department of Respiratory Medicine, the Second Hospital of Hebei Medical University , Shijiazhuang, Hebei , P.R. China .
authors.forename: Ning
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Song
authors.forename: Mohammed
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Shamssain
authors.forename: Shamssain
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Mohammed
authors.forename: Jin
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Jianling
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Chunling
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Fu
authors.forename: Shuting
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hao
authors.forename: Jitao
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Guan
authors.forename: Xixin
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Yan
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D017677:Age Distribution; D000818:Animals; D001249:Asthma / Q000453:epidemiology*; D001837:Body Weights and Measures; D001942:Breast Feeding / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D002648:Child; D002681:China / Q000453:epidemiology; D004485:Eczema / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D057805:Pets; D015995:Prevalence; D012111:Residence Characteristics; D012220:Rhinitis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D012307:Risk Factors; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D017678:Sex Distribution; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D014028:Tobacco Smoke Pollution / Q000706:statistics & numerical data
chemical_list: D014028:Tobacco Smoke Pollution