The prevalence of respiratory symptoms and asthma among school children in three different areas of Norway

Abstract

The role of exposure to ambient air pollution has been a topic of interest as a potential risk factor for respiratory symptoms and asthma. We expected that the prevalence rates would vary in Norway between the capital, Oslo, the mountainous area Hallingdal and the industrial area Odda. Surveys were conducted in school children, aged 6-16 years, in; Oslo (n = 2577), Hallingdal (n = 1177) and Odda (n = 831). The parent-reported prevalence of wheeze in past year was almost similar in Oslo (13.1 (95% CI 11.7-14.5)) and Upper Hallingdal (14.2 (13.1-15.3)), but lower in Odda (9.0 (7.0-11.0)). The findings for severe respiratory symptoms were almost equal. The age patterns within each area differed. The risk of wheeze ever (p < 0.001) and wheeze in past year (p = 0.04) decreased with increasing age in Odda, while there was an increase in the risk of exercise induced wheeze in Oslo (p = 0.02) and Hallingdal (p < 0.001). The lifetime prevalence of asthma was lowest in Odda (5.4 (3.8-7.0)) compared to Oslo (9.4 (8.2-10.6)) and Hallingdal (8.5 (6.8-10.2)). There was a positive association between physical activity and wheeze in past year. The results do not support the hypothesis that respiratory morbidity is more common in urban than rural areas, age and physical activity can influence the prevalence rates of respiratory symptoms in school children.

The wheezing schoolchild - an undiagnosed asthmatic: A follow-up of children with parentally reported episodes of wheeze without diagnosed asthma

“…The prevalence of parental reports of wheeze during the last 12 months was 9.0%. These results have previously been presented more fully elsewhere (10).…”

Behandling av håndleddsbrudd 2009 – 14

“…Men det er få eller ingen holdepunkter for at det på overordnet nivå foreligger vesentlig variasjon i sykelighet hos barn mellom landets 18 boområder. Det finnes en studie på geografisk forekomst av astma hos barn som ikke finner forskjeller mellom urbane og mer landlige boområder (Nystad et al, 1997).…”

“…år fødes med en eller flere misdannelser (Parelius & Aag, 2008 Norske studier angir at 20-25 % av norske barn har eller har hatt astma ved 10 års alder (Carlsen et al, 2006), men det er et stort spenn i alvorlighet av sykdommen. Man finner ingen geografiske forskjeller i forekomst av astma (Nystad et al, 1997 …”

“…1 000 pasienter behandlet. Norske studier gir ikke grunnlag for å anta at variasjonen skyldes ulik astmaforekomst mellom boområder (Nystad et al, 1997). Det er grunn til å tro at det foreligger uønsket variasjon som kan vaere uttrykk for forskjeller i pasienttilbud og i samhandling mellom sykehus, private spesialister og fastlegene om oppfølging av barn med astma.…”

Prescribing of asthma drugs for children 2004–2015

“…One study shows some variations in asthma prevalence in children living in different regions in Norway, but no variation between urban and rural districts (15). Two recent studies show approximately identical prevalence of asthma in Oslo and Northern Norway in children aged 10-11 (16,17).…”