Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
---|---|---|---|---|
2588864 | International Journal of Hygiene and Environmental Health | 2011 | 7 Pages |
We aim to explore the relationships between exposure to dampness, pets, and environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) early in life and asthma in Taiwanese children, and to discuss their links to early- and late-onset asthma. We conducted a 1:2 matched case-control study from the Taiwan Children Health Study, which was a nationwide study that recruited 12-to-14 year-old school children in 14 communities. The 579 mothers of the participants were interviewed by telephone about their children's environmental exposures before they were 5 years old, including the in-utero period. Childhood asthma was associated with exposure to early life environmental factors, such as cockroaches (OR = 2.16; 95% CI, 1.15–4.07), visible mould (OR = 1.75; 95% CI, 1.15–2.67), mildewy odors (OR = 5.04; 95% CI, 2.42–10.50), carpet (OR = 2.36; 95% CI, 1.38–4.05), pets (OR = 2.11; 95% CI, 1.20–3.72), and more than one hour of ETS per day (OR = 1.93; 95% CI, 1.16–3.23). The ORs for mildewy odors, feather pillows, and ETS during early childhood were greater among children with late-onset asthma. Cockroaches, carpet, pets, and in-utero exposures to ETS affected the timing of early-onset asthma. Exposure to these factors led to dose-responsiveness in the risk of asthma. And the earlier exposures may trigger the earlier onset. Interventions in avoiding these environmental exposures are necessary for early-prevention of childhood asthma.