Abstract
Few studies have assessed the lagged effects of levels of different urban city air pollutants and seasons on asthma hospitalization in children. This study used big data analysis to explore the effects of daily changes in air pollution and season on childhood asthma hospitalization from 2001 to 2010 in Taipei and Kaohsiung City, Taiwan. A time-stratified case-crossover study and conditional logistic regression analysis were employed to identify associations between the risk of hospitalization due to asthma in children and the levels of air pollutants (PM2.5, PM10, O3, SO2, and NO2) in the days preceding hospitalization. During the study period, 2900 children in Taipei and 1337 in Kaohsiung aged ≤15 years were hospitalized due to asthma for the first time. The results indicated that the levels of air pollutants were significantly associated with the risk of asthma hospitalization in children, and seasonal effects were observed. High levels of air pollution in Kaohsiung had greater effects than in Taipei after adjusting for seasonal variation. The most important factor was O3 in spring in Taipei. In children aged 0–6 years, asthma was associated with O3 in Taipei and SO2 in Kaohsiung, after controlling for the daily mean temperature and relative humidity.
Highlights
The World Health Organization estimated that 235 million people suffer from asthma worldwide [1]
The highest numbers of hospitalizations for asthma were in the groups aged from 0 to 6 years in both cities
In terms of seasonal distribution, asthma hospitalizations in the two cities were concentrated in autumn (September, October, November) and winter (December, January, February), while the lowest incidence was seen in summer (June, July, August)
Summary
The World Health Organization estimated that 235 million people suffer from asthma worldwide [1]. Asthma is the most common chronic disease among children, and is one of the major reasons for school absence, emergency medical treatment, and hospitalization during childhood. Research has indicated that asthma is responsible for 10 million missed school days per year in the USA [2]. In Taiwan, according to the National Health Insurance statistics, outpatient/emergency room. Res. Public Health 2018, 15, 647; doi:10.3390/ijerph15040647 www.mdpi.com/journal/ijerph
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callMore From: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
