Abstract:
OBJECTIVE : The aim of this study was to investigate
the association between eczema ever (EE) and current
eczema symptoms (ES) in relation to exposure to
environmental tobacco smoke (ETS).
DESIGN : A cross-sectional study using the
International Study of Asthma and Allergies in
Childhood questionnaire.
SETTING : 16 schools were randomly selected from two
neighbourhoods situated in Ekurhuleni Metropolitan
Municipality, Gauteng Province, South Africa.
PARTICIPANTS : From a total population of 3764 school
children aged 12–14 years, 3468 completed the
questionnaire (92% response rate). A total of 3424
questionnaires were included in the final data analysis.
PRIMARY OUTCOME : The prevalence of EE and current
ES was the primary outcome in this study.
RESULTS : Data were analysed using Multilevel Logistic
Regression Analysis (MLRA). The likelihood of EE was increased by exposure to ETS at home (OR 1.30 95%
CI 1.01 to 1.67) and at school (OR 1.26 95% CI 1.00
to 1.60). The likelihood of EE was lower for males (OR
0.66 95% CI 0.51 to 0.84). The likelihood of ES was
increased by ETS at home (OR 1.93 95% CI 1.43 to
2.59) and school (1.44 95% CI 1.09 to 1.90). The
likelihood of ES was again lower for males (OR 0.56
95% CI 0.42 to 0.76). Smoking by mother/female
guardian increased the likelihood of EE and ES,
however, this was not significant in the multivariate
analysis.
CONCLUSIONS : Symptoms of eczema were positively
associated with exposure to ETS at home and school.
The results support the hypothesis that ETS is an
important factor in understanding the occurrence of
eczema.
