Abstract
To determine the prevalence of asthma and respiratory symptoms in a farming population of Hutterite and non-Hutterite children. A population of 830 school-age, farm-dwelling children in rural Saskatchewan that included 83 children residing in Hutterite farming colonies. A cross-sectional survey questionnaire was sent to parents of children attending grades 1 to 5 in schools within a grain-growing and mixed-farming region of central Saskatchewan. The questionnaire was used to identify respiratory symptoms, environmental and host characteristics, and reported doctor-diagnosed asthma. The prevalence of asthma in Hutterite children was 2.4% compared with 9.2% in non-Hutterite children. While Hutterite children did not differ from their farming counterparts with regard to the frequency of reported respiratory allergies, they were less likely to be exposed to cigarette smoke and to participate in farm-related activities. In the multivariate analysis, being Hutterite continued to be protective for asthma (odds ratio 0.21; 95% CI 0.05 to 0.89). The observed lower rate of asthma in Hutterite children than in non-Hutterite children may be related to both genetic factors and differences in farming and household factors between the two groups. Key Words: Asthma; Children; Farming; Hutterite
Highlights
Of the 1015 children in the study reported to live in farming environments, 830 children resided in the region of the Hutterite colonies, and of these children, 83 (10%) were residents of Hutterite colonies
The results of the present analysis, comparing Hutterite and non-Hutterite children for asthma and associated environmental factors, identified a lower prevalence of asthma in children living on Hutterite farms, and showed that certain environmental factors often associated with asthma in children were not reported to be present in the immediate environment of Hutterite children
Indoor exposures such as the presence of pets and passive smoking previously documented by others [20,21,22,23] as being associated with asthma were reportedly absent in the immediate environment of Hutterite children
Summary
To determine the prevalence of asthma and respiratory symptoms in a farming population of Hutterite and nonHutterite children. PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING: A population of 830 schoolage, farm-dwelling children in rural Saskatchewan that included 83 children residing in Hutterite farming colonies. CONCLUSION: The observed lower rate of asthma in Hutterite children than in non-Hutterite children may be related to both genetic factors and differences in farming and household factors between the two groups. Les symptômes respiratoires et l’asthme dans deux populations agricoles : Une comparaison entre les enfants huttériens et non-huttériens. CONCLUSION : Le taux moins élevé d’asthme observé chez les enfants huttériens par rapport aux enfants non-huttériens peut être relié à la fois à des facteurs génétiques et à des différences dans les modes agricoles et les habitudes familiales des deux groupes. As part of a larger study of childhood asthma in a rural region of Saskatchewan, the present subanalysis examined the relationship between childhood asthma, and Hutterite and non-Hutterite living
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