Risk Factors for Acute Respiratory Tract Infections in Young Greenlandic Children

Abstract

Acute respiratory infections cause considerable morbidity among Inuit children, but there is very little information on the risk factors for these infections in this population. To identify such factors, the authors performed a prospective community-based study of acute respiratory infections in an open cohort of 288 children aged 0-2 years in the town of Sisimiut, Greenland. Between July 1996 and August 1998, children were monitored weekly, and episodes of upper and lower respiratory tract infections were registered. Risk factor analyses were carried out using a multivariate Poisson regression model adjusted for age. Risk factors for upper respiratory tract infections included attending a child-care center (relative risk = 1.7 compared with home care) and sharing a bedroom with adults (relative risk = 2.5 for one adult and 3.1 for two adults). Risk factors for lower respiratory tract infections included being a boy (relative risk = 1.5), attending a child-care center (relative risk = 3.3), exposure to passive smoking (relative risk = 2.1), and sharing a bedroom with children aged 0-5 years (relative risk = 2.0 for two other children). Breastfeeding tended to be protective for lower respiratory tract infections. The population-attributable risk of lower respiratory tract infections associated with passive smoking and child-care centers was 47% and 48%, respectively. The incidence of acute respiratory infections among Inuit children may be reduced substantially through public health measures.

Fatores de risco para internação por doença respiratória aguda em crianças até um ano de idade

“…Resultado similar foi observado em outros estudos em relação à morbidade por doença respiratória. 10,13,15 Existe, no entanto, descrição de alguns resultados negativos em relação ao aleitamento materno. 3,7 Fatores possivelmente relacionados a esses resultados incluem a forma da coleta do dado (variável dicotômica x variável quantitativa), avaliação do aleitamento materno como forma exclusiva de alimentação e o viés da causalidade reversa.…”

CO2 concentration in day care centres is related to wheezing in attending children

“…Numerous factors have been associated with a higher prevalence of wheezing and asthma, namely atopy, parental history of allergic respiratory disease and exposure to tobacco smoke [22,17]. Attendance at a day care centre (DCC) also involves a higher risk of infections and wheezing [9,6]. In fact, during the first years of life, children attending at a DCC have a higher incidence of airway infections and respiratory symptoms than children that stay at home [8].…”

Prolonged and Exclusive Breastfeeding Reduces the Risk of Infectious Diseases in Infancy

“…[3][4][5][6][7][8] The risks of these infectious diseases are affected by several factors including birth weight, gestational age, socioeconomic status, ethnicity, number of siblings, day care attendance, and parental smoking. 3,5,6,[8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20] Breastfeeding has been suggested as a modifiable influencing factor. When given exclusively, breastfeeding reduces the risk of infectious diseases in infants in developing countries.…”