Allergic rhinitis, rhinoconjunctivitis and hayfever symptoms among children are associated with frequency of truck traffic near residences : a cross sectional study

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dc.contributor.author Shirinde, Joyce
dc.contributor.author Wichmann, Janine
dc.contributor.author Voyi, K.V.V. (Kuku)
dc.date.accessioned 2015-12-14T07:20:25Z
dc.date.available 2015-12-14T07:20:25Z
dc.date.issued 2015-10-26
dc.description.abstract BACKGROUND : Allergic rhinitis (AR) is an increasing and common condition affecting many people globally, especially children. The aim of the study was to investigate the association between the frequency of truck traffic and allergic rhinitis symptoms, rhinoconjunctivitis and hayfever among 13 to 14 year old school children in Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality, Gauteng Province, South Africa. METHODS : In a cross-sectional study design, 3764 children from 16 randomly selected high schools were eligible to participate, 3468 completed the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC) Phase I questionnaire of which 3424 were suitable for analysis; the overall response rate was 92 %. Data were analysed using multilevel logistic regression analysis. RESULTS : The prevalence of self-reported rhinitis ever, current rhinitis rhinoconjunctivitis and hayfever was 52, 40, 21 and 37 % respectively. Rhinitis ever, current rhinitis and current rhinoconjunctivitis were significantly associated with the frequency of trucks passing near residences almost all day on weekdays, (OR 1.46 95 % CI: 1.16 − 1.84), (OR 1.60 95 % CI: 1.24–2.02) and (OR 1.42 95 % CI: 1.09–1.84) respectively. No association was observed between truck traffic and hay fever in the multiple analyses. CONCLUSION : The study shows a high prevalence of allergic rhinitis symptoms amongst children. The results support the hypothesis that traffic related pollution plays a role in the prevalence of allergic rhinitis symptoms in children residing in the area. en_ZA
dc.description.librarian am2015 en_ZA
dc.description.sponsorship The University of Pretoria, Tshwane University of Technology, Medical Research Council and the National Research Foundation. en_ZA
dc.description.uri http://www.ehjournal.net en_ZA
dc.identifier.citation Shirinde, J, Wichmann. J & Voyi, K 2015, 'Allergic rhinitis, rhinoconjunctivitis and hayfever symptoms among children are associated with frequency of truck traffic near residences: a cross sectional study', Environmental Health, vol. 14, pp. 1-11. en_ZA
dc.identifier.issn 1476-069X
dc.identifier.other 10.1186/s12940-015-0072-1
dc.identifier.uri http://hdl.handle.net/2263/51173
dc.language.iso en en_ZA
dc.publisher BioMed Central en_ZA
dc.rights © 2015 Shirinde et al. Open Access. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. en_ZA
dc.subject Rhinoconjunctivitis en_ZA
dc.subject Hayfever en_ZA
dc.subject Traffic en_ZA
dc.subject Air pollution en_ZA
dc.subject South Africa (SA) en_ZA
dc.subject Allergic rhinitis (AR) en_ZA
dc.title Allergic rhinitis, rhinoconjunctivitis and hayfever symptoms among children are associated with frequency of truck traffic near residences : a cross sectional study en_ZA
dc.type Article en_ZA


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