Back to Annual Meeting Page		American Public Health Association 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition December 10-14, 2005 Philadelphia, PA

Abstract #116774

Wen-Chao Ho, Graduate Institute of Environmental Medicine/ Environmental Health Sciences, China Medical University/Tulane University, 91 Hsueh-Shih Road, Taichung City 404, Taiwan, 504-8976398, wher@tulane.edu, W.R. Hartley, PhD, Environmental Health Sciences, Tulane University, 1430 Tulane Avenue, New Orleans, LA 70112, LaShaunda Malone, Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Tulane University, School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, SL-29, 1430 Tulane Avenue, New Orleans, LA 70112-2699, Leann Myers, PhD, Department of Biostatistics, Tulane University School of Public Health & Tropical Medicine, 1440 Canal St., 20th Floor, New Orleans, LA 70112, Fung-Chang J. Sung, Public Health, China Medical University Dapartment of Public Health, No.91, Hseuh Shih Rd., Taichung City 404, Taiwan (R.O.C.), Taichung, Taiwan, and R. S. Lin, Institute of Preventive Health, National Taiwan University College of Public Health, 1 Jen Ai Road Section 1, Taipei, 100, Taiwan.

ABSTRACT: Asthma is an important public health task. The objective of this research was to investigate the relationship of air pollution and weather to adolescent asthma prevalence and attack rate. A six-month mass screening asthma study was conducted from October 1995 to March 1996 in Taiwan. The study population included junior high school student countrywide (1,139,452 students). Eighty-nine percent of students completed questionnaires (International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood - ISAAC and New England) and passed a logical screening error program. Lung function data was collected to assist in the diagnosis of asthma status. Selected by random sampling, data for 64,660 students were analyzed for asthma prevalence and attack rate. Using a regression model to compare the USEPA National Ambient Air Quality Standards 2000 (NAAQS, 2000) to asthma prevalence, this investigation found that the standards may not provide enough protection for adolescents after controlling for age, rhinitis, eczema, urban birth location, parental education level, exercise, cigarette smoking, environmental tobacco smoking, alcohol beverage consumption and weather factors. The General Estimating Equations (GEE) model, a repeated measurement regression model used to examine the relation between the monthly asthma attack rate among asthma patients and air pollution (Nitrogen Oxides; Nitrogen Dioxide; Nitric Oxide; Ozone; PM10) while controlling for household smoking , demonstrated that air pollution is related to asthma attack rate. Air pollution also had an interaction with weather which increased when related to asthma attack rate.

Learning Objectives:

• Air quality standard related to asthma prevalence.
• Air pollution and weather related to asthma attack rate.

Keywords: Air Pollutants, Asthma

Related Web page: caeph.tulane.edu/mercurystaff.html

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

I wish to disclose that I have NO financial interests or other relationship with the manufactures of commercial products, suppliers of commercial services or commercial supporters.

Recorded presentation