Evaluation of Effectiveness for an Atopy Prevention Program Operated by a Local Government

Abstract

Objectives: We evaluated the effects of an allergy control program on children with atopic dermatitis (AD) in five schools located within Gyeonggi-do. Methods:Based on the results of the 12-month prevalence of AD symptoms from an International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC) questionnaire of all students (n=2109; 1040 boys, 1069 girls) at five randomly selected schools, 227 students with AD symptoms were screened. Finally, 188 students with greater than 1 on SCORAD (SCORing Atopic Dermatitis) determined by a physician were selected. The allergy control program includes education related to allergic diseases, skin prick tests, and SCORAD evaluation, as well as keeping a daily journal to check the usage of moisturizer at least once a day. To determine the effectiveness of the allergy control program, SCORAD evaluation was performed again six weeks later. Results:The most common symptom for 12-month prevalence was rhinorrhea (33.9%), followed by atopic skin lesions (14.8%) and wheezing (4.0%). The 12-month prevalences of the three allergic diseases were higher for boys than for girls, and a significant difference was found for allergic rhinitis (P<0.001). The mean SCORAD index decreased significantly from 26.1 to 17.5 after the completion of the six-week control program (P<0.01). In particular, these differences were more pronounced for the group which used the daily journal (P<0.001). Conclusions:Our findings indicate that the allergy control program including usage of a daily journal as well as regular monitoring could be a promising tool for preventing and alleviating the symptoms of allergic diseases.

Asthma and allergic diseases in preschool children in Korea: findings from the pilot study of the Korean Surveillance System for Childhood Asthma

“…Exposure to allergens, i.e. HDM has a strong association with asthma and allergic diseases in childhood [28], and characteristics of exposure may have an association with behavioral factors.…”