2021 Volume 35 Issue 1 Pages 101-108
Objective: To investigate the risk factors for wheezing prevalence in the previous 12-month period among six-year-old children in Himeji.
Method: An allergy questionnaire that included the core part of the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC) questionnaire was distributed to the caregivers of all 4,880 first-year pupils who had entered elementary schools in Himeji City in April 2016. Data were collected for 4,861 children, but 114 for whom full responses were not obtained were excluded, leaving 4,747 children for analysis.
Results: Boys had a significantly higher prevalence of allergy than girls. Significant risk factors included egg allergy, history of eczema, second-hand smoke, presence of a dog indoors since 1 year old or younger, bronchial asthma in the father, allergic rhinitis in the father, bronchial asthma in the mother, and allergic conjunctivitis in the mother. Children whose households had carpets showed a significantly lower incidence of wheezing than children whose households did not.
Conclusion: Egg allergy, history of eczema, presence of a dog indoors before the age of 1 year, and a parental history of allergies were risk factors for wheezing in six-year-old children. A parental history of bronchial asthma appeared to be particularly important.
