Prevalence and severity of asthma among Indian school children aged between 6 and 14 years: associations with parental smoking and traffic pollution

Abstract

Objective: Phase three of the International Study of Asthma and Allergy in Children (ISAAC) was carried out at various sites in India. The prevalence of asthma symptoms in school children and the effect of environmental tobacco smoke and traffic pollution on the occurrence of asthma were analysed. Methods: Two groups of school children, aged 6–7 yr and 13–14 yr, participated according to the ISAAC protocol. Schools were randomly selected and responses to the ISAAC questionnaire were recorded. Results: The prevalence of asthma was 5.35% in the 6–7 yr age group and 6.05% in the 13–14 yr age group. The odds ratios (ORs) for the risk of asthma in children with exposure to mild, moderate and heavy traffic pollution compared with minimal traffic pollution were 1.63 (95% CI: 1.43, 1.85), 1.71 (95% CI: 1.49, 1.96) and 1.53 (95% CI: 1.31, 1.78), respectively, in the younger group. Similarly, in the older group, they were 1.19 (95% CI: 1.04, 1.36), 1.51 (95% CI: 1.31, 1.75) and 1.51 (95% CI: 1.29, 1.76). Asthma was associated with maternal smoking [6–7 yr group: OR = 2.72 (2.05, 3.6); 13–14 yr group: OR = 2.14 (1.72, 2.66)] and paternal smoking [6–7 yr group: OR = 1.9 (1.70, 2.11); 13–14 yr group: OR = 1.21 (1.09, 1.34)]. Conclusions: The prevalence of asthma was lower in the 6–7 than the 13–14 yr age group. Environmental tobacco smoke and traffic pollution were the factors most strongly associated with asthma in Indian children.

• Asthma
• epidemiology
• physiological disorders
• pollution
• smoking

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank Dr. Rajeev Yadav and Dr. Ajay Mathur for their valuable contribution in data analysis.

Declaration of interest

The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the paper.