Abstract
PurposeAsthma during adolescence can induce social, psychological, and behavioral problems. We examined the impact of asthma and other allergic diseases on psychological symptoms and health risk behaviors among South Korean adolescents.MethodsIn this population-based cross-sectional study, 3192 adolescents (10–18 years of age) participating in the 2008–2011 Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey were enrolled. Psychological problems associated with clinically diagnosed asthma, allergic rhinitis, and atopic dermatitis were assessed using questionnaires and surveys. Data was analyzed using logistic regression to determine the association of depression with allergic disease while controlling for age, sex, body mass index, smoking experience, and alcohol use.ResultsAsthma and atopic dermatitis were associated with a higher prevalence of depression (17.2% and 13%, respectively). After adjusting for the covariates, asthma patients were approximately two times as likely to have depression as non-allergic participants (odds ratio, 1.81; 95% confidence interval, 1.22–2.68). Psychosocial stress significantly increased in the following order: no allergy, any allergy without asthma, asthma only, and asthma with any allergy (p for linear trend = 0.01). The asthma without other allergies group showed the highest prevalence of cigarette smoking (p = 0.007).ConclusionsIn this study, asthma with or without other allergies was significantly related to increases in depression, psychosocial stress, and smoking experience. Thus, care should be taken to adjust treatment to account for the psychological symptoms and health risk behaviors common among asthmatic adolescents.
Highlights
The Asia-Pacific region houses approximately 60% of the world’s population
Asthma and atopic dermatitis were associated with a higher prevalence of depression (17.2% and 13%, respectively)
Asthma with or without other allergies was significantly related to increases in depression, psychosocial stress, and smoking experience
Summary
The prevalence of asthma has been reduced in the West, some countries in Asia, such as China, Indonesia, Taiwan, and South Korea, have shown a rapid growth in prevalence rates of the disease as a result of increasing industrialization and the widespread adoption of Western lifestyles [1,2]. Adolescents in these countries have shown particular increases in asthma symptom prevalence in recent years, while rates among their Western counterparts remain relatively stable [1]. Other conditions, including allergic sensitization [5], atopic dermatitis [6], and allergic rhinitis [7], have been shown to be associated with depression in both children and adults
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