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Family size, infections and asthma prevalence in New Zealand children
Citation
Wickens, K and Crane, J and Kemp, T and Lewis, S and D'Souza, WJ and Sawyer, G and Stone, L and Tohill, S and Kennedy, J and Slater, T and Pearce, N, Family size, infections and asthma prevalence in New Zealand children, Epidemiology, 10, (6) pp. 699-705. ISSN 1044-3983 (1999) [Refereed Article]
DOI: doi:10.1097/00001648-199911000-00009
Abstract
We conducted a prevalence case-control study to investigate the relation between family composition, infection, and development of asthma at age 7-9 years. Potential cases (399) and controls (398) were selected from the Wellington, NZ, arm of the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood, a population-based prevalence study. Further screening questions restricted cases to children with a diagnosis of asthma and current medication use (N = 233) and restricted controls to children without a history of wheezing and no diagnosis of asthma (N = 241). After controlling for confounders (including infections, atopy, and socioeconomic status), family size was strongly related to asthma. Having no siblings [prevalence odds ratio (POR) = 2.51; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.05-6.01] or one sibling (POR = 1.86; 95% CI = 1.14-3.03) was associated with an increased risk of asthma compared with having more than one sibling. Parent-reported rubeola infection (and possibly other similar viral exanthems) was independently associated with a decreased risk of asthma (POR = 0.48; 95% CI = 0.27-0.83), but reported pertussis infection (POR = 1.57; 95% CI = 0.58- 4.24) and day care attendance in the first year of life (POR = 1.81; 95% CI= 0.93-3.51) were not strongly associated with increased risks of asthma.
Item Details
Item Type: | Refereed Article |
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Research Division: | Health Sciences |
Research Group: | Epidemiology |
Research Field: | Epidemiology not elsewhere classified |
Objective Division: | Health |
Objective Group: | Clinical health |
Objective Field: | Clinical health not elsewhere classified |
UTAS Author: | D'Souza, WJ (Mr Wendyl D'Souza) |
ID Code: | 35598 |
Year Published: | 1999 |
Web of Science® Times Cited: | 59 |
Deposited By: | Menzies Centre |
Deposited On: | 2005-08-22 |
Last Modified: | 2005-08-22 |
Downloads: | 0 |
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