Abstract

The association between the indoor environment and lifetime prevalence of otitis media (OM) in Australian children was assessed. We analysed data from a cross-sectional study of children, aged 7–11 years, performed in twelve Australian cities during 2007–2008. The main outcome was a parental report of their child’s diagnosis with OM by a doctor. Information on the indoor environment (energy sources used for heating, cooling, and cooking, pets, and second-hand smoke exposure), in the first year of life and at present, was collected from parents by a questionnaire. Multi-level logistic regression models were used to adjust for individual- and area-level confounders. Our analysis comprised 2872 children (51% female, mean age: 10.0 (SD 1.2)). Of those, 1097 (39%) were reported to have OM. Exposure to gas heating in the first year of life was significantly associated with higher odds of OM in adjusted models (OR:1.22; 95% CI: 1.00,1.47), as was current exposure to reverse-cycle air conditioning (OR: 1.52, 95% CI: 1.27,1.82). Ownership of a cat or dog at any time was also associated with high odds of OM (OR: 1.50; 95% CI: 1.17,1.92). No other significant associations were observed. In this national study of Australian children, indoor environmental exposures associated with the lifetime prevalence of OM were gas heating, reverse-cycle air conditioning and pet ownership. Exposures in both early life and later childhood may both play a role in OM.

Highlights

  • Otitis media (OM) is a common childhood disorder [1] in which there is acute or chronic inflammation of the middle ear space

  • The rate of children reported as having otitis media (OM) was 39.4%

  • The risk factors associated with OM are extensively studied [4,5,6,7,8,9], but there is relatively little written about the effect of indoor environmental exposures, apart from second-hand smoke [10,11,12]

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Summary

Introduction

Otitis media (OM) is a common childhood disorder (between 900,000 and 2.4 million cases per year in Australia) [1] in which there is acute or chronic inflammation of the middle ear space. It is responsible for substantial morbidity and health-care expenditure. It is estimated that up to 10% of primary care consultations in children in Australia are related.

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