The influence of home environmental factors and life style on children's respiratory health in Xi'an.

To assess associations between home indoor air environments and asthma, allergies and pneumonia, children aged 1-8 years were surveyed from 12 kindergartens in the city of Xi'an. 2,020 questionnaires were responded with a response rate of 83.5 %. The prevalences of doctor diagnosed asthma, hay fever, and pneumonia were 2.9 %, 3.6 %, and 28.3 %, respectively. Living close to a highway was a risk factor for current rhinitis (AOR 1.5, 95 % CI 1.2-1.8), eczema (AOR 1.7, 95 % CI 1.2-2.5), and diagnosed pneumonia (AOR 1.3, 95 % CI 1.0-1.6). Dampness problems in the home were associated with 50 %-130 % increases in the prevalences of asthma and allergy. Airing bed linen under sun-shine was protective, especially against rhinitis. Pet avoidance was consistently and significantly associated with asthma and allergy (AOR 1.3-2.4). Decoration of the home during children's early life is a risk factor for current rhinitis (AOR 1.9, 95 % CI 1.3-2.9) and eczema (AOR 1.9, 95 % CI 1.1-3.6). Risk factors for pneumonia were living in an apartment (AOR 1.4, 95 % CI 1.1-1.8), latex wall paint (AOR 1.3, 95 % CI 1.0-1.7), dampness (AOR 1.4-1.5), breast feeding <3 months (AOR 1.3, 95 % CI 1.0-1.7), never airing bed linen in sunshine (AOR 1.3, 95 % CI 1.3-1.6), and cleaning children's room less frequently than once per day (AOR 1.4, 95 % CI 1.1-1.7). This study demonstrates that home indoor environmental and life style factors may influence the health of children in Xi'an. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]