Abstract
The increasing prevalence of respiratory diseases in Chinese children has focused attention on indoor environmental quality. We investigated associations between perceived air quality in domestic environments and children’s allergic diseases with a questionnaire survey study. A total of 4017 children aged 1–8 years old from 23 kindergartens in urban, suburban and industrial areas in Nanjing were randomly recruited for this study. Parents’ perceived odors, including stuffy odor, unpleasant odor, pungent odor, moldy odor, humid air and dry air were found to be associated with asthma, wheeze, dry cough and rhinitis (P < 0.05). Both perceived dry and humid air were found to be positively associated with dampness indices, and we present evidence that the sensation of dryness may not be due to the actual indoor relative humidity, but rather to indoor air irritants. Parents’ perception of odors and relative humidity may be indicators of environment pollutants, which are likely the real factors associated with children’s allergic diseases.
Highlights
Prevalences of asthma and allergic diseases worldwide are increasing, and this is the case in China where a dramatic rise in the prevalence of allergic diseases has been reported in the past two decades [1,2]
Parents’ perceived odors, including stuffy odor, unpleasant odor, pungent odor, moldy odor, humid air and dry air were found to be associated with asthma, wheeze, dry cough and rhinitis (P < 0.05)
Both perceived dry and humid air were found to be positively associated with dampness indices, and we present evidence that the sensation of dryness may not be due to the actual indoor relative humidity, but rather to indoor air irritants
Summary
Prevalences of asthma and allergic diseases worldwide are increasing, and this is the case in China where a dramatic rise in the prevalence of allergic diseases has been reported in the past two decades [1,2]. The indoor environment, especially in the home, likely has a significant role in inducing asthma and allergic diseases among children [3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11]. Home refurbishment/decoration/remodeling activities in newly constructed or existing apartments have become major environmental health concerns in China [14,17] with respect to young children [1]
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