Abstract
Background and AimThe burden of childhood asthma and its risk factors is an important but neglected public health challenge in Latin America. We investigated the association between allergic symptoms and dietary intake in children from this region.MethodsAs part of the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC) Phase III, questionnaire collected dietary intake was investigated in relation to risk of parental/child reported current wheeze (primary outcome) and rhino-conjunctivitis and eczema. Per-country adjusted logistic regressions were performed, and combined effect sizes were calculated with meta-analyses.Results143,967 children from 11 countries had complete data. In children aged 6–7 years, current wheeze was negatively associated with higher fruit intake (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 0.65; 95% CI 0.74, 0.97). Current rhino-conjunctivitis and eczema were statistically negatively associated with fruit intake (aOR 0.72; 95% CI 0.64, 0.82; and OR 0.64, 95% CI 0.56, 0.74, respectively). Vegetable intake was negatively associated with risk of symptoms in younger children, but these associations were attenuated in the 13–14 years old group. Fastfood/burger intake was positively associated with all three outcomes in the older children.ConclusionA higher intake of fruits and vegetables was associated with a lower prevalence of allergic symptoms in Latin American children. Conversely, intake of fastfood was positively associated with a higher prevalence of wheeze in adolescents. Improved dietary habits in children might help reduce the epidemic of allergic symptoms in Latin America. Food interventions in asthmatic children are needed to evaluate the possible public health impact of a better diet on respiratory health.
Highlights
Asthma continues to represent a major public health burden worldwide
In this large multi-centre epidemiological study including 11 Latin American countries, we found that the overall prevalence of allergic symptoms in children aged 6–7 years fluctuated between 9.9% and 12.5%
We found a consistent trend across countries of a statistically significantly negative association between fruit, and vegetable, and allergic symptoms in the younger children
Summary
Asthma continues to represent a major public health burden worldwide. The Global Burden of Disease (GBD) reported that symptoms of asthma in low- and middle- income countries can be as high as the rates found in more developed countries [1]. In line with the large variations in economic and social development observed in Latin America, the prevalence of asthma is diverse, with rates of current wheeze ranging between 4 and 30% in adolescents, and between 8 and 37% in younger children [1,2,3]. These rates are comparable to that of developed countries or those with higher economic wealth. We investigated the association between allergic symptoms and dietary intake in children from this region
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