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Chang LY, Lin YH, Lin SJ, Chiang TL. Cohort Profile: Taiwan Birth Cohort Study (TBCS). Int J Epidemiol 2021; 50:1430-1431i. [PMID: 34263321 DOI: 10.1093/ije/dyab048] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 02/23/2021] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Ling-Yin Chang
- Institute of Health Behaviors and Community Sciences, College of Public Health, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Yu-Hsuan Lin
- Surveillance, Research and Health Education Division, Health Promotion Administration, Ministry of Health and Welfare, Taiwan
| | - Shio-Jean Lin
- Department of Pediatrics, Chi Mei Medical Center, Tainan, Taiwan
| | - Tung-Liang Chiang
- Institute of Health Policy and Management, College of Public Health, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
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2
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Liang K, Chi X, Chen ST, Clark CCT, Zhang Y, Wang J. Food Insecurity and Bullying Victimization Among 170,618 Adolescents in 59 Countries. Front Psychiatry 2021; 12:766804. [PMID: 34858236 PMCID: PMC8631901 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2021.766804] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2021] [Accepted: 10/22/2021] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Background: Bullying victimization can impose long-lasting impacts on adolescent's current and subsequent well-being. Understanding the correlates of bullying victimization and how to prevent its occurrence is an urgent need. Food insecurity, an indicator of low socioeconomic status, may be related to bullying victimization. However, research on the association between food insecurity and bullying victimization is limited. Using a representative global sample, this study aimed to investigate the association between food insecurity and bullying victimization in adolescents and whether the association varied between country income levels, sexes, and age groups. Methods: Using cross-sectional, school-based data by 170,618 adolescents in 59 countries from the Global School-based Student Health Survey, multivariable logistic regression and meta-analysis were conducted to investigate the overall, country-stratified, sex-stratified, and age-stratified associations. Results: The prevalence of bullying victimization was 33.3%. In the total sample, adolescents with food insecurity showed significantly higher odds for bullying victimization than those without no food insecurity with a pooled odds ratio (OR) being 1.37 (1.28, 1.47). Further, the association was stronger in higher-income countries, females, and older adolescents. Conclusions: Bullying victimization is prevalent among global adolescents with food insecurity being a significant correlate. The identification of adolescents with perceptions of food insecurity and remedying this condition may be important to reduce the prevalence of bullying. This highlights the need to design and implement sex- and age-specific interventions focusing on remedying food insecurity and bullying victimization among in-school adolescents by taking country income levels into account.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kaixin Liang
- School of Psychology, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, China
| | - Xinli Chi
- School of Psychology, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, China
| | - Si-Tong Chen
- Institute for Health and Sport, Victoria University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | | | - Yanjie Zhang
- Health and Exercise Science Laboratory, Institute of Sports Science, Seoul National University, Seoul, South Korea.,Physical Education Unit, School of Humanities and Social Science, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen, China
| | - Jian Wang
- School of Public Policy and Management, Anhui Jianzhu University, Hefei, China.,Urban Management Research Center, Anhui Jianzhu University, Hefei, China.,Department of Psychology, Anhui Normal University, Wuhu, China
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3
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Shi P, Zhang X, Liu L, Tang L, Li J, Wang L, Li AM, Cao Y, Xu H, Huang G. Age- and gender-specific trends in respiratory outpatient visits and diagnoses at a tertiary pediatric hospital in China: a 10-year retrospective study. BMC Pediatr 2020; 20:115. [PMID: 32164622 PMCID: PMC7068978 DOI: 10.1186/s12887-020-2001-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2019] [Accepted: 02/25/2020] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Respiratory infections are one of three leading causes of childhood mortality, and worldwide increase and recent plateau in childhood asthma has been reported. However, data on trends of respiratory diseases over long period of time is limited. This study aimed to determine the trends of respiratory disease outpatient visits (ROVs) and diagnoses (RODs) in one of the largest children’s teaching hospitals in China between 2009 and 2018. Methods A retrospective study based on routine administrative data was designed and implemented according to the RECORD statement. Demographic details and diagnoses of the outpatients < 18 years visiting the respiratory department of the hospital were extracted from the Hospital Information System. Age- and gender-specific trends were illustrated by calculating average annual growth rate (AAGR) for ROVs and comparing change of proportion for different RODs over time. Results There were 698,054 ROVs from 285,574 children (40.4% female). AAGR of ROVs was 15.2%. Children aged 4 to < 7 years had a faster increase than other age groups. Bronchitis (27.6%), pneumonia (18.5%), pneumonia affecting other systems (18.4%), asthma and status asthmaticus (10.7%), and vasomotor and allergic rhinitis (9.2%) accounted for 84.4% of all RODs. The proportion of bronchitis decreased across years, with the concomitant increasing trend in the proportion of pneumonia. Age-specific trend in diagnoses showed greater proportion of asthma in all visits for the children aged 7 to < 18 years than younger children. Gender-specific trend in diagnoses showed the proportion of asthma was greater for males but the AAGR was greater for females. Conclusion The persistent upward trend in ROVs was observed among children at different ages and a gender difference was also seen. In contrast to what has been reported, burden of asthma and allergies diseases continues to increase locally.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peng Shi
- Department of Data Management and Statistics, Children's Hospital of Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Xiaobo Zhang
- Department of Respiratory Disease, Children's Hospital of Fudan University, National Children's Medical Center, Shanghai, 201102, China.
| | - Lijuan Liu
- Department of Respiratory Disease, Children's Hospital of Fudan University, National Children's Medical Center, Shanghai, 201102, China
| | - Liangfeng Tang
- Department of Urology, Children's Hospital of Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Jing Li
- Big Data Product Department, Wonders Information Co. Ltd., Shanghai, China
| | - Libo Wang
- Department of Respiratory Disease, Children's Hospital of Fudan University, National Children's Medical Center, Shanghai, 201102, China
| | - Albert M Li
- Department of Paediatrics, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Yang Cao
- Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Medical Sciences, Örebro University, Örebro, Sweden
| | - Hong Xu
- Department of Nephrology and Rheumatology, Children's Hospital of Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Guoying Huang
- Pediatric Heart Center, Children's Hospital of Fudan University, Shanghai, China
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4
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Broitman D, Portnov BA. Forecasting health effects potentially associated with the relocation of a major air pollution source. ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2020; 182:109088. [PMID: 31901630 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2019.109088] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2019] [Revised: 12/22/2019] [Accepted: 12/23/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Epidemiological studies often focus on risk assessments associated with exposures to specific air pollutants or proximity to different air pollution sources. Although this information is essential for devising informed health policies, it is not always helpful when it comes to the estimation of potential health effects associated with the introduction or relocation of local health hazards. In this paper, we suggest a novel approach to forecasting the morbidity-reduction impact of hypothetical removal of a major air pollution source from a densely populated urban area. The proposed approach is implemented in three stages. First, we identify and measure the strength of association of individual environmental factors with local morbidity patterns. Next, we use the estimated models to simulate the impact of removal of the pollution source under analysis and its replacement by green areas. Using this assessment, we then estimate potential changes in the local morbidity rates by mutually comparing the observed risk surface of disease with the risk surface simulated by modelling. To validate the proposed approach empirically, we use childhood asthma morbidity data available for a major metropolitan area in Israel, which hosts a large petrochemical complex. According to our estimates, relocation of the petrochemical complex in question is expected to result in about 70% drop in the childhood asthma morbidity rate area-wide. To the best of our knowledge, the present study is the first that suggests an operational approach to incorporating epidemiological assessments as an input for urban development plans related to local sources of air pollution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dani Broitman
- Faculty of Architecture and Town Planning, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, Technion City, Haifa, 32000, Israel.
| | - Boris A Portnov
- Department of Natural Resources & Environmental Management, University of Haifa, Mount Carmel, Haifa, 31905, Israel.
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5
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Yu B, Dai L, Chen J, Sun W, Chen J, Du L, Deng N, Chen D. Prenatal and neonatal factors involved in the development of childhood allergic diseases in Guangzhou primary and middle school students. BMC Pediatr 2019; 19:479. [PMID: 31810445 PMCID: PMC6898923 DOI: 10.1186/s12887-019-1865-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/06/2019] [Accepted: 11/29/2019] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Allergic diseases, such as asthma, dermatitis, rhinitis, and eczema, are highly prevalent in Chinese school children. Environmental factors, including air pollution and automobile exhaust, play an important role in the etiology of these diseases. However, prenatal and neonatal factors, such as gender, maternal diseases during pregnancy, and premature birth, may also be associated with allergic disease occurrence. The objective of this study was to explore prenatal and neonatal factors that are involved in the development of allergic diseases among primary and middle school students in Guangzhou, China. METHODS A cross-sectional survey was launched by the Health Promotion Centre for Primary and Secondary Schools of the Guangzhou Municipality in October 2017. All primary and middle school students in Guangzhou were notified to participate in the questionnaire online under the direction of their parents. The results of the physical examination were reported by the schools' medical department. The results of the questionnaire were collected and analyzed by the researchers. The prevalence of asthma, allergic rhinitis, allergic dermatitis, and eczema was identified. RESULTS Based on reported 183,449 questionnaires and medical records, the data indicate that the sex, birth weight, neonatal feeding type, delivery mode, and students' father smoking status were significantly associated with the prevalence of all four allergic diseases in primary and middle school children. In further stratified analyses of the children with normal birth weight (2500-4000 g) and without any maternal diseases during pregnancy, the factors of male sex, high birth weight, cesarean delivery, and father smoking status all increased the risk of asthma, dermatitis, rhinitis, and eczema. Also, unlike exclusive breastfeeding, breast plus formula feeding increased these risks, but pure formula feeding had the opposite effect. CONCLUSION Prenatal and neonatal factors, including male sex, high birth weight, cesarean delivery, only child, and father smoking status are associated with the risks of allergic diseases in school children.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bolan Yu
- Key Laboratory for Major Obstetric Diseases of Guangdong Province, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, No.63 Duobao Rd, Guangzhou, 510150, China. .,Guangdong Engineering and Technology Research Center of Maternal-Fetal Medicine, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, No.63 Duobao Rd, Guangzhou, 510150, China.
| | - Lijuan Dai
- Key Laboratory for Major Obstetric Diseases of Guangdong Province, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, No.63 Duobao Rd, Guangzhou, 510150, China.,Guangdong Engineering and Technology Research Center of Maternal-Fetal Medicine, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, No.63 Duobao Rd, Guangzhou, 510150, China
| | - Juanjuan Chen
- Key Laboratory for Major Obstetric Diseases of Guangdong Province, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, No.63 Duobao Rd, Guangzhou, 510150, China.,Guangdong Engineering and Technology Research Center of Maternal-Fetal Medicine, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, No.63 Duobao Rd, Guangzhou, 510150, China
| | - Wen Sun
- Key Laboratory for Major Obstetric Diseases of Guangdong Province, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, No.63 Duobao Rd, Guangzhou, 510150, China.,Guangdong Engineering and Technology Research Center of Maternal-Fetal Medicine, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, No.63 Duobao Rd, Guangzhou, 510150, China
| | - Jingsi Chen
- Key Laboratory for Major Obstetric Diseases of Guangdong Province, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, No.63 Duobao Rd, Guangzhou, 510150, China.,Guangdong Engineering and Technology Research Center of Maternal-Fetal Medicine, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, No.63 Duobao Rd, Guangzhou, 510150, China
| | - Lili Du
- Key Laboratory for Major Obstetric Diseases of Guangdong Province, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, No.63 Duobao Rd, Guangzhou, 510150, China.,Guangdong Engineering and Technology Research Center of Maternal-Fetal Medicine, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, No.63 Duobao Rd, Guangzhou, 510150, China
| | - Nali Deng
- Health Promotion Centre for Primary and Secondary Schools of Guangzhou Municipality, Guangzhou, China
| | - Dunjin Chen
- Key Laboratory for Major Obstetric Diseases of Guangdong Province, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, No.63 Duobao Rd, Guangzhou, 510150, China. .,Guangdong Engineering and Technology Research Center of Maternal-Fetal Medicine, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, No.63 Duobao Rd, Guangzhou, 510150, China.
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6
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El-Heneidy A, Abdel-Rahman ME, Mihala G, Ross LJ, Comans TA. Milk Other Than Breast Milk and the Development of Asthma in Children 3 Years of Age. A Birth Cohort Study (2006⁻2011). Nutrients 2018; 10:E1798. [PMID: 30463252 PMCID: PMC6267177 DOI: 10.3390/nu10111798] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2018] [Revised: 10/27/2018] [Accepted: 11/15/2018] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Prevalence of asthma in Australian children is amongst the highest in the world. Although breastfeeding positively influences infant immunity, early introduction of Milk Other than Breast Milk (MOTBM) may also play an important role in the development of Asthma. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between the introduction of MOTBM in the first six months after birth and the development of reported persistent asthma in 3-year olds. A sample of 1121 children was extracted from the Environments for Healthy Living longitudinal birth cohort study. Introduction of MOTBM during the first six months after birth increased almost two-fold the risk of development of persistent asthma after adjusting for other covariates (Adjusted Relative Risk (ARR): 1.71, 95% CI: 1.03⁻2.83, p = 0.038). This study indicates that the introduction of MOTBM in the first six months of life is a risk factor for asthma incidence among 3-year old children. This result is important in explaining the benefits of breastfeeding as part of public health interventions to encourage mothers to increase breastfeeding initiation and duration, and avoid the introduction of MOTBM in the first six months after childbirth.
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Affiliation(s)
- Asmaa El-Heneidy
- Centre for Applied Health Economics, School of Medicine, Menzies Health Institute Queensland, Griffith University, QLD 4111, Australia.
| | - Manar E Abdel-Rahman
- Department of Public Health, College of Health Sciences, Qatar University, Doha 2713, Qatar.
| | - Gabor Mihala
- Centre for Applied Health Economics, School of Medicine, Menzies Health Institute Queensland, Griffith University, QLD 4111, Australia.
| | - Lynda J Ross
- Menzies Health Institute Queensland, Griffith University, QLD 4222, Australia.
| | - Tracy A Comans
- Centre for Applied Health Economics, School of Medicine, Menzies Health Institute Queensland, Griffith University, QLD 4111, Australia.
- Centre for Health Services Research, University of Queensland, Brisbane QLD 4072, Australia.
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7
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Svechkina A, Portnov BA. A new approach to spatial identification of potential health hazards associated with childhood asthma. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2017; 595:413-424. [PMID: 28391146 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2017.03.222] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2016] [Revised: 03/23/2017] [Accepted: 03/24/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
RESEARCH BACKGROUND Childhood asthma is a chronic disease, known to be linked to prolonged exposure to air pollution. However, the identification of specific health hazards, associated with childhood asthma is not always straightforward, due to the presence of multiple sources of air pollution in urban areas. In this study, we test a novel approach to the spatial identification of environmental hazards that have the highest probability of association with the observed asthma morbidity patterns. METHODS The effect of a particular health hazard on population morbidity is expected to weaken with distance. To account for this effect, we rank potential health hazards based on the strength of association between the observed morbidity patterns and wind-direction weighted proximities to these locations. We validate this approach by applying it to a study of spatial patterns of childhood asthma in the Greater Haifa Metropolitan Area (GHMA) in Israel, characterised by multiple health hazards. RESULTS We identified a spot in the local industrial zone as the primary risk source for the observed asthma morbidity patterns. Multivariate regressions, controlling for socio-economic and geographic variables, revealed that the observed incidence rates of asthma tend to decline as a function of distance from the identified industrial location. CONCLUSION The proposed identification approach uses disease patterns as its main input, and can be used by researches as a preliminary risk assessment tool, in cases in which specific sources of locally elevated morbidity are unclear or cannot be identified by traditional methods.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alina Svechkina
- Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Management, Faculty of Management, University of Haifa, Mount Carmel, Haifa 3498838, Israel
| | - Boris A Portnov
- Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Management, Faculty of Management, University of Haifa, Mount Carmel, Haifa 3498838, Israel.
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8
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Hansen S, Hoffmann-Petersen B, Sverrild A, Bräuner EV, Lykkegaard J, Bodtger U, Agertoft L, Korshøj L, Backer V. The Danish National Database for Asthma: establishing clinical quality indicators. Eur Clin Respir J 2016; 3:33903. [PMID: 27834178 PMCID: PMC5103671 DOI: 10.3402/ecrj.v3.33903] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2016] [Accepted: 10/19/2016] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Asthma is one of the most common chronic diseases worldwide affecting more than 300 million people. Symptoms are often non-specific and include coughing, wheezing, chest tightness, and shortness of breath. Asthma may be highly variable within the same individual over time. Although asthma results in death only in extreme cases, the disease is associated with significant morbidity, reduced quality of life, increased absenteeism, and large costs for society. Asthma can be diagnosed based on report of characteristic symptoms and/or the use of several different diagnostic tests. However, there is currently no gold standard for making a diagnosis, and some degree of misclassification and inter-observer variation can be expected. This may lead to local and regional differences in the treatment, monitoring, and follow-up of the patients. The Danish National Database for Asthma (DNDA) is slated to be established with the overall aim of collecting data on all patients treated for asthma in Denmark and systematically monitoring the treatment quality and disease management in both primary and secondary care facilities across the country. The DNDA links information from population-based disease registers in Denmark, including the National Patient Register, the National Prescription Registry, and the National Health Insurance Services register, and potentially includes all asthma patients in Denmark. The following quality indicators have been selected to monitor trends: first, conduction of annual asthma control visits, appropriate pharmacological treatment, measurement of lung function, and asthma challenge testing; second, tools used for diagnosis in new cases; and third, annual assessment of smoking status, height, and weight measurements, and the proportion of patients with acute hospital treatment. The DNDA will be launched in 2016 and will initially include patients treated in secondary care facilities in Denmark. In the nearby future, the database aims to include asthma diagnosis codes and clinical data registered by general practitioners and specialised practitioners as well.
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Affiliation(s)
- Susanne Hansen
- Research Centre for Prevention and Health, Rigshospitalet Glostrup Hospital, Glostrup, Denmark
| | | | - Asger Sverrild
- Respiratory Research Unit, Department of Respiratory Medicine, Bispebjerg Frederiksberg University Hospital, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Elvira V Bräuner
- Research Centre for Prevention and Health, Rigshospitalet Glostrup Hospital, Glostrup, Denmark
- Department of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Bispebjerg - Frederiksberg Hospital, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Jesper Lykkegaard
- Research Unit of General Practice, Institute of Public Health, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark
| | - Uffe Bodtger
- Department of Respiratory Medicine, Naestved Hospital, Region Zealand, Denmark
- Department of Respiratory Medicine, Zealand University Hospital Roskilde, Region Zealand, Denmark
- Institute of Regional Health Research, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark
| | - Lone Agertoft
- Hans Christian Andersen Children's Hospital, Odense University Hospital, Odense, Denmark
| | | | - Vibeke Backer
- Respiratory Research Unit, Department of Respiratory Medicine, Bispebjerg Frederiksberg University Hospital, Copenhagen, Denmark;
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Fucic A, Plavec D, Casteleyn L, Aerts D, Biot P, Katsonouri A, Cerna M, Knudsen LE, Castano A, Rudnai P, Gutleb A, Ligocka D, Lupsa IR, Berglund M, Horvat M, Halzlova K, Schoeters G, Koppen G, Hadjipanayis A, Krskova A, Középesy S, Arendt M, Fischer ME, Janasik B, Gurzau AE, Gurzau ES, Grandér M, Larsson K, Jajcaj M, Kolossa-Gehring M, Sepai O, Exley K, Bartolome M, Cutanda F, Mazej D, Nielsen JKS, Snoj-Tratnik J, Schwedler G, Fiddicke U, Seiwert M, Govarts E, Den Hond E, Koch HM, Lopez A, Joas A, Joas R. Gender differences in cadmium and cotinine levels in prepubertal children. ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2015; 141:125-131. [PMID: 25529752 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2014.10.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2014] [Revised: 08/27/2014] [Accepted: 10/01/2014] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
Susceptibility to environmental stressors has been described for fetal and early childhood development. However, the possible susceptibility of the prepubertal period, characterized by the orchestration of the organism towards sexual maturation and adulthood has been poorly investigated and exposure data are scarce. In the current study levels of cadmium (Cd), cotinine and creatinine in urine were analyzed in a subsample 216 children from 12 European countries within the DEMOCOPHES project. The children were divided into six age-sex groups: boys (6-8 years, 9-10 years and 11 years old), and girls (6-7 years, 8-9 years, 10-11 years). The number of subjects per group was between 23 and 53. The cut off values were set at 0.1 µg/L for Cd, and 0.8 µg/L for cotinine defined according to the highest limit of quantification. The levels of Cd and cotinine were adjusted for creatinine level. In the total subsample group, the median level of Cd was 0.180 µg/L (range 0.10-0.69 µg/L), and for cotinine the median wet weight value was 1.50 µg/L (range 0.80-39.91 µg/L). There was no significant difference in creatinine and cotinine levels between genders and age groups. There was a significant correlation between levels of cadmium and creatinine in all children of both genders. This shows that even at such low levels the possible effect of cadmium on kidney function was present and measurable. An increase in Cd levels was evident with age. Cadmium levels were significantly different between 6-7 year old girls, 11 year old boys and 10-11 year old girls. As there was a balanced distribution in the number of subjects from countries included in the study, bias due to data clustering was not probable. The impact of low Cd levels on kidney function and gender differences in Cd levels needs further investigation.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Fucic
- Institute for Medical Research and Occupational Health, Ksaverska c 2, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia.
| | - D Plavec
- Children Hospital Srebrnjak, Croatia
| | | | - D Aerts
- Federal Public Service Health, Food Chain Safety and Environment - DG Environment, Belgium
| | - P Biot
- DG Environment, Multilateral and Strategic Affairs, Belgium
| | - A Katsonouri
- State General Laboratory, Ministry of Health, Cyprus
| | - M Cerna
- Laboratoire National de Sante, Luxembourg; National Institute of Public Health, Czech Republic
| | | | - A Castano
- Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Spain
| | - P Rudnai
- National Institute of Environmental Health, Hungary
| | - A Gutleb
- Centre de Recherche Public - Gabriel Lippmann, Luxembourg
| | - D Ligocka
- Nofer Institute of Occupational Medicine, Poland
| | - I-R Lupsa
- Environmental Health Center, Romania
| | - M Berglund
- Institute of Environmental Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Sweden
| | - M Horvat
- Institute Josef Stefan, Slovenia
| | - K Halzlova
- Public Health Authority, Slovak Republic; State General Laboratory, Ministry of Health, Cyprus
| | - G Schoeters
- Flemish Institute for Technological Research (VITO), Environmental Risk and Health, Netherlands
| | - G Koppen
- Flemish Institute for Technological Research (VITO), Environmental Risk and Health, Netherlands
| | - A Hadjipanayis
- Larnaca General Hospital, Ministry of Health, Republic of Cyprus
| | - A Krskova
- Laboratoire National de Sante, Luxembourg; National Institute of Public Health, Czech Republic
| | - S Középesy
- National Institute of Environmental Health, Hungary
| | - M Arendt
- Initiativ Liewensufank, Luxembourg
| | - M E Fischer
- Laboratoire National de Sante, Luxembourg; National Institute of Public Health, Czech Republic
| | - B Janasik
- Nofer Institute of Occupational Medicine, Poland
| | | | | | - M Grandér
- Institute of Environmental Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Sweden
| | - K Larsson
- Institute of Environmental Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Sweden
| | - M Jajcaj
- Institute Josef Stefan, Slovenia
| | | | | | | | | | - F Cutanda
- Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Spain
| | - D Mazej
- Institute Josef Stefan, Slovenia
| | | | | | | | - U Fiddicke
- Federal Environment Agency (UBA), Germany
| | - M Seiwert
- Federal Environment Agency (UBA), Germany
| | - E Govarts
- Flemish Institute for Technological Research (VITO), Environmental Risk and Health, Netherlands
| | - E Den Hond
- Flemish Institute for Technological Research (VITO), Environmental Risk and Health, Netherlands
| | - H M Koch
- Institute for Prevention and Occupational Medicine of the German Social Accident Insurance - Institute of the Ruhr-Universität Bochum (IPA), Germany
| | - A Lopez
- Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Spain
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10
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Association of primary immune thrombocytopenia and common allergic diseases among children. Pediatr Res 2015; 77:597-601. [PMID: 25580738 DOI: 10.1038/pr.2015.6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2014] [Accepted: 10/08/2014] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Growing evidence has revealed a link between autoimmune and allergic diseases. However, few studies have assessed the relationship between allergic diseases and primary immune thrombocytopenia (ITP), an autoimmune disease frequently occurring in children. This population-based case-control study investigated the association between common allergic diseases and the subsequent risk of developing ITP during childhood. METHODS This study investigated 1,203 children younger than 18 y of age who were diagnosed with ITP between 1998 and 2008, as well as 4,812 frequency-matched controls. The odds ratios of the association between ITP and preexisting allergic diseases were calculated. RESULTS Children with every type of allergic disease examined in this study (except asthma) exhibited an increased risk of developing ITP; the lowest adjusted odds ratio (aOR) was 1.39 for allergic conjunctivitis (95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.09-1.79), whereas the greatest aOR was 1.84 for allergic rhinitis (95% CI = 1.49-2.27). The aORs increased with the number of concurrent allergic diseases to 2.89 (95% CI = 1.98-4.22) for children with at least three allergic diseases. CONCLUSION Children with atopic diathesis have a greater risk of subsequently developing ITP. The fundamental determinants of this relationship warrant further study.
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The impact of tobacco smoke exposure on wheezing and overweight in 4-6-year-old children. BIOMED RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2014; 2014:240757. [PMID: 25110663 PMCID: PMC4109218 DOI: 10.1155/2014/240757] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2014] [Revised: 06/08/2014] [Accepted: 06/24/2014] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Aim. To investigate the association between maternal smoking during pregnancy, second-hand tobacco smoke (STS) exposure, education level, and preschool children's wheezing and overweight. Methods. This cohort study used data of the KANC cohort—1,489 4–6-year-old children from Kaunas city, Lithuania. Multivariate logistic regression was employed to study the influence of prenatal and postnatal STS exposure on the prevalence of wheezing and overweight, controlling for potential confounders. Results. Children exposed to maternal smoking during pregnancy had a slightly increased prevalence of wheezing and overweight. Postnatal exposure to STS was associated with a statistically significantly increased risk of wheezing and overweight in children born to mothers with lower education levels (OR 2.12; 95% CI 1.04–4.35 and 3.57; 95% CI 1.76–7.21, accordingly). Conclusions. The present study findings suggest that both maternal smoking during pregnancy and STS increase the risk of childhood wheezing and overweight, whereas lower maternal education might have a synergetic effect. Targeted interventions must to take this into account and address household smoking.
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Schmidt NM, Lincoln AK, Nguyen QC, Acevedo-Garcia D, Osypuk TL. Examining mediators of housing mobility on adolescent asthma: results from a housing voucher experiment. Soc Sci Med 2014; 107:136-44. [PMID: 24607675 PMCID: PMC4070421 DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2014.02.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2013] [Revised: 01/22/2014] [Accepted: 02/09/2014] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Literature on neighborhood effects on health largely employs non-experimental study designs and does not typically test specific neighborhood mediators that influence health. We address these gaps using the Moving to Opportunity (MTO) housing voucher experiment. Research has documented both beneficial and adverse effects on health in MTO, but mediating mechanisms have not been tested explicitly. We tested mediation of MTO effects on youth asthma (n = 2829). MTO randomized families living in public housing to an experimental group receiving a voucher to subsidize rental housing, or a control group receiving no voucher, and measured outcomes 4-7 years following randomization. MTO had a harmful main effect vs. controls for self-reported asthma diagnosis (b = 0.24, p = 0.06), past-year asthma attack (b = 0.44, p = 0.02), and past-year wheezing (b = 0.17, p = 0.17). Using Inverse Odds Weighting mediation we tested mental health, smoking, and four housing dimensions as potential mediators of the MTO-asthma relationship. We found no significant mediation overall, but mediation may be gender-specific. Gender-stratified models displayed countervailing mediation effects among girls for asthma diagnosis by smoking (p = 0.05) and adult-reported housing quality (p = 0.06), which reduced total effects by 35% and 42% respectively. MTO treatment worsened boys' mental health and mental health reduced treatment effects on asthma diagnosis by 27%. Future research should explore other potential mediators and gender-specific mediators of MTO effects on asthma. Improving measurement of housing conditions and other potential mediators may help elucidate the "black box" of neighborhood effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicole M Schmidt
- Northeastern University, Institute on Urban Health Research and Practice, Bouvé College of Health Sciences, 360 Huntington Ave, 310 International Village, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Alisa K Lincoln
- Northeastern University, Institute on Urban Health Research and Practice, Bouvé College of Health Sciences, 360 Huntington Ave, 310 International Village, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Northeastern University, Department of Sociology and Anthropology, and Department of Health Sciences, 360 Huntington Ave, 521 Holmes, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Quynh C Nguyen
- Northeastern University, Institute on Urban Health Research and Practice, Bouvé College of Health Sciences, 360 Huntington Ave, 310 International Village, Boston, MA 02115, USA; University of Utah, Department of Health Promotion and Education, 1901 E. South Campus, Annex Room 2124, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, USA
| | - Dolores Acevedo-Garcia
- Brandeis University, Heller School for Social Policy and Management, 415 South Street, Heller-Brown Building, 364, Waltham, MA 02453, USA
| | - Theresa L Osypuk
- University of Minnesota School of Public Health, Division of Epidemiology and Community Health, West Bank Office Building, Suite 300, 1300 S. Second Street, Minneapolis, MN 55454, USA.
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