title: Is parent-child bed-sharing a risk for wheezing and asthma in early childhood?
abstract: Household crowding can place young children at risk for respiratory infections which subsequently provoke asthma symptoms. However, crowding might also protect against asthma, in accordance with the hygiene hypothesis. We tested if parent-infant bed-sharing, an important dimension of household crowding, increases or decreases the risk for asthma. In a population-based prospective cohort (N = 6160) we assessed bed-sharing at 2 and 24 months; wheezing between 1 and 6 years of age; and asthma at 6 years of age. Generalised estimating equation models were used to assess repeated measures of wheezing and asthma. We found no association between bed-sharing in early infancy and wheezing or diagnosis of asthma. By contrast, we found a positive association between bed-sharing in toddlerhood and both wheezing (OR 1.42, 95% CI 1.15-1.74) and asthma (OR 1.57, 95% CI 1.03-2.38). Wheezing was not associated with bed-sharing when using cross-lagged modelling. This study suggests that bed-sharing in toddlerhood is associated with an increased risk of asthma at later ages, and not vice versa. Further studies are needed to explore the underlying causal mechanisms.
authors.affiliation: School of Pedagogical and Educational Sciences, Erasmus University Rotterdam, Rotterdam, The Netherlands The Generation R Study Group, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands luijk@fsw.eur.nl.
authors.forename: Maartje P C M
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Luijk
authors.affiliation: The Generation R Study Group, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands Dept of Pediatrics, Division of Respiratory Medicine, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Agnes M M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Sonnenschein-van der Voort
authors.affiliation: School of Pedagogical and Educational Sciences, Erasmus University Rotterdam, Rotterdam, The Netherlands The Generation R Study Group, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Viara R
authors.initials: VR
authors.lastname: Mileva-Seitz
authors.affiliation: Dept of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry/Psychology, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands Institute of Psychology, Erasmus University Rotterdam, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Pauline W
authors.initials: PW
authors.lastname: Jansen
authors.affiliation: Dept of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry/Psychology, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Frank C
authors.initials: FC
authors.lastname: Verhulst
authors.affiliation: Dept of Epidemiology, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Albert
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hofman
authors.affiliation: The Generation R Study Group, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands Dept of Epidemiology, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands Dept of Pediatrics, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Vincent W V
authors.initials: VW
authors.lastname: Jaddoe
authors.affiliation: Dept of Pediatrics, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Johan C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: de Jongste
authors.affiliation: School of Pedagogical and Educational Sciences, Erasmus University Rotterdam, Rotterdam, The Netherlands Center for Child and Family Studies, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Marinus H
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: van IJzendoorn
authors.affiliation: The Generation R Study Group, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands Dept of Pediatrics, Division of Respiratory Medicine, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands Dept of Pediatrics, Division of Neonatology, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Liesbeth
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Duijts
authors.affiliation: Dept of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry/Psychology, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands Dept of Epidemiology, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands Dept of Psychiatry, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Henning
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Tiemeier
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D001249:Asthma / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D001512:Bedding and Linens / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003441:Crowding; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D009426:Netherlands / Q000453:epidemiology; D010290:Parents; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012141:Respiratory Tract Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D012307:Risk Factors