Background: The aim of the study was to assess the prevalence of asthma and to identify the basic host and environmental risk factors for asthma and symptoms suggestive of asthma in Polish adolescents aged 15 years.
Materials and methods: The study was performed as a cross-sectional questionnaire survey comprising population of 854 - 68.3% of all eligible students, attending schools located in Jaworzno. Parents or guardians filled the questionnaire, which contained questions on the occurrence of respiratory and allergic symptoms and diseases, family history of these pathologies, data on exposure to indoor factors and socioeconomic status of the family. Statistical analyses involved calculation of the prevalence of asthma and symptoms suggestive of asthma and identification of risk factors on the basis of multivariate logistic regression.
Results: Wheezing in the last year preceding the survey was reported in 44 (5.1%) adolescents, attacks of dyspnea with wheezing in 22 (2.6%), and asthma in 46 (5.4%) adolescents. The results of multivariate logistic regression revealed that the presence of atopy was the most important risk factor for asthma (odds ratio: OR - 7.8; p = 0.0001). Other statistically significant risk factors for asthma and symptoms suggestive of asthma were positive history of allergy in mothers (OR - 8.3; p = 0.04) and positive history of severe respiratory disease in early childhood (OR - 4.7; p = 0.007).
Conclusions: The results of our study justify the need for activities aimed at proper job orientation in future for adolescents with the presence of atopy.