What factors are associated with the prevalence of atopic symptoms amongst adolescents in Greater Manchester?

Raha Katebi; Greg Williams; Michael Bourke; Annie Harrison; Arpana Verma

doi:10.1093/eurpub/ckv139

What factors are associated with the prevalence of atopic symptoms amongst adolescents in Greater Manchester?

Eur J Public Health. 2018 Jun;28(3):576-581. doi: 10.1093/eurpub/ckv139. Epub 2015 Aug 12.

Authors

Raha Katebi¹, Greg Williams¹, Michael Bourke¹, Annie Harrison¹, Arpana Verma²

Affiliations

¹ Manchester Urban Collaboration on Health, Centre for Epidemiology, Institute for Population Health, Manchester Academic Health Science Centre, The University of Manchester, Manchester, UK.
² Manchester Urban Collaboration on Health, Centre for Epidemiology, Institute for Population Health, Manchester Academic Health Science Centre, The University of Manchester, Manchester, UK arpana.verma@manchester.ac.uk.

PMID: 26268627
DOI: 10.1093/eurpub/ckv139

Abstract

Introduction: Atopy commonly manifests itself as atopic diseases (ADs), namely asthma, eczema and hay fever. The prevalence of AD is rising worldwide, and it is widely accepted as a major public health issue, due to the significant burden of AD on health care systems.

Method: Data were obtained from the youth survey of the European Urban Health Indicator System 2 project. The study participants were students aged 14-16 years from Greater Manchester. The main outcomes measured were the prevalence of atopic symptoms and the factors associated with the development of atopy.

Results: Of the sample studied, 70% reported having had an AD during their lifetime. The lifetime prevalence of ever having asthma, eczema or hay fever was 33.4%, 28.1% and 49.0%, respectively. Gender, family affluence, body mass index, diet, smoking and worrying were all significantly associated with atopic symptoms. Smoking was the only variable to be significantly associated with all three ADs. Season of birth and pollution were not shown to be associated with atopic symptoms.

Conclusion: This study demonstrates that the prevalence of AD in Greater Manchester was high amongst adolescents. Several environmental, demographic and social factors were found to be significantly associated with the development of atopic symptoms. This study provides a baseline for future studies to further investigate the factors that are associated with AD and allow for the implementation of preventative public health policy.