IngentaConnect Time trend of asthma prevalence among school children in Taiwan: ...

Authors: Lee, Yung-Ling¹; Hwang, Bing-Fang²; Lin, Ying-Chu³; Guo, Yueliang Leon⁴

Source: Pediatric Allergy and Immunology, Volume 18, Number 3, May 2007 , pp. 188-195(8)

Abstract:

Lee YL, Hwang BF, Lin YC, Guo YL. Time trend of asthma prevalence among school children in Taiwan: ISAAC phase I and III surveys.

The standardized International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC) is a valid tool in assessing prevalence of asthma indices. In order to determine the time trends of childhood asthma in Taiwan, we compared data from nationwide ISAAC surveys from a very large sample of Taiwanese 12- to 15-year-old school children, using ISAAC core written and video questionnaires. The number of participants was 44,104 in 1995-96 (phase I) and 11,048 in 2001 (phase III). We found a general tendency towards an increase in lifetime prevalence of physician-diagnosed asthma and asthma symptoms between two surveys, more marked for girls than for boys. Most of the 12-month prevalence of asthma symptoms decreased among boys but stabilized among girls. When comparing different severity levels, we also noted that the decreasing trends of current symptoms were more marked with regard to severe symptoms than mild symptoms in both sexes. A combination of both improved awareness and management of asthma might in part explain this circumstance. Over the past decade in Taiwan, the lifetime prevalence of childhood asthma was increasing, more marked among girls; however, the 12-month prevalence of asthma symptoms was decreasing, mostly among boys. The exact reasons for such trends remain to be explored.

Keywords: asthma; children; prevalence; trend; ISAAC; Taiwan

Document Type: Research article

DOI: 10.1111/j.1399-3038.2006.00504.x

Affiliations: 1: Department of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan 2: School and Graduate Institute of Occupational Safety and Health, College of Public Health, China Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan 3: College of Dental Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan 4: Department of Environmental and Occupational Medicine, National Taiwan University (NTU) and NTU Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan

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