Dataset Information

Prevalence of respiratory symptoms at two time points in a population of children in Manchester--a cohort study.

ABSTRACT:

Objective

Although the prevalence of asthma and atopy has been noted to have increased in recent decades, patterns of asthma prevalence have, traditionally, been difficult to track. Most reports on trends in childhood asthma have been cross-sectional measuring the prevalence in cohorts of similar aged children at different time points. The aim of this paper is to report on the prevalence of symptoms in the same cohort at two separate time points.

Design

Retrospective cohort study.

Setting

Community-based study, Central Manchester.

Participants

MANCAS1, study n=5086, participation n=2414. MANCAS2, study n=6338, participation n=1608. Children born in a hospital in Manchester within specified dates and still living or attending a school in Central Manchester were eligible for inclusion. Children on an 'at-risk' register or living with short-term carers were excluded.

Outcome measures

Data on respiratory symptoms were collected at two separate time points using parent completed questionnaires.

Results

Response rate for MANCAS1 was 47.5% and 25.4% for MANCAS2. There were 801 individuals for whom a response to both studies was received. There was a significant reduction in the prevalence of night cough (29.5% vs 18.3%, McNemar <0.01) and antibiotic use for respiratory infections (9.1% vs 4.3%, McNemar <0.01) between the two study time points. The prevalence of hay fever/eczema increased (41.6% vs 46.9%, McNemar <0.01) between the two studies. There was no significant difference in the prevalence of wheeze, exercise-induced wheeze or asthma medication.

Conclusions

Although this report of respiratory symptom prevalence in the same population at two time points over a 7-year period shows a constant burden of asthma symptoms, there is some suggestion of variability in asthma symptom prevalence within the cohort as the children matured while the burden of allergy symptoms increased.

SUBMITTER: Linehan MF

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3488710 | biostudies-literature | 2012

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Publications

Prevalence of respiratory symptoms at two time points in a population of children in Manchester--a cohort study.

Linehan Mary F MF Niven Robert M RM Baxter David N DN Morris Julie A JA Frank Timothy L TL

BMJ open 20121011 5

<h4>Objective</h4>Although the prevalence of asthma and atopy has been noted to have increased in recent decades, patterns of asthma prevalence have, traditionally, been difficult to track. Most reports on trends in childhood asthma have been cross-sectional measuring the prevalence in cohorts of similar aged children at different time points. The aim of this paper is to report on the prevalence of symptoms in the same cohort at two separate time points.<h4>Design</h4>Retrospective cohort study. ...[more]

PMID: 23065449

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Project description:BACKGROUND: Acute lower respiratory infections (ALRI) are a major cause of hospitalisation in young children. Many factors can lead to increased risk of ALRI in children and predispose a child to hospitalisation, but population attributable fractions for different risk factors and how these fractions differ between Indigenous and non-Indigenous children is unknown. This study investigates population attributable fractions of known infant and maternal risk factors for ALRI to inform prevention strategies that target high-risk groups or particular risk factors. METHODS: A retrospective population-based data linkage study of 245,249 singleton births in Western Australia. Population attributable fractions of known maternal and infant risk factors for hospitalisation with ALRI between 1996 and 2005 were calculated using multiple logistic regression. RESULTS: The overall ALRI hospitalisation rate was 16.1/1,000 person-years for non-Aboriginal children and 93.0/1,000 for Aboriginal children. Male gender, being born in autumn, gestational age <33 weeks, and multiple previous pregnancies were significant risk factors for ALRI in both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal children. In non-Aboriginal children, maternal smoking during pregnancy accounted for 6.3% (95%CI: 5.0, 7.6) of the population attributable fraction for ALRI, being born in autumn accounted for 12.3% (10.8, 13.8), being born to a mother with three or more previous pregnancies accounted for 15.4% (14.1, 17.0) and delivery by elective caesarean accounted for 4.1% (2.8, 5.3). In Aboriginal children, being born to a mother with three or more previous pregnancies accounted for 16.5% (11.8, 20.9), but remote location at birth accounted for 11.7% (8.5, 14.8), maternal age <20 years accounted for 11.2% (7.8, 14.5), and being in the most disadvantaged socio-economic group accounted for 18.4% (-6.5, 37.4) of the population attributable fraction. CONCLUSIONS: The population attributable fractions estimated in this study should help in guiding public health interventions to prevent ALRI. A key risk factor for all children is maternal smoking during pregnancy, and multiple previous pregnancies and autumnal births are important high-risk groups. Specific key target areas are reducing elective caesareans in non-Aboriginal women and reducing teenage pregnancies and improving access to services and living conditions for the Aboriginal population.

Dataset Information

Prevalence of respiratory symptoms at two time points in a population of children in Manchester--a cohort study.

Objective

Design

Setting

Participants

Outcome measures

Results

Conclusions

Publications

Prevalence of respiratory symptoms at two time points in a population of children in Manchester--a cohort study.

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