Association Between Exposure to Particulate Matter and School Absences in Korean Asthmatic Adolescents

Overview

Journal Ann Occup Environ Med

Specialty Environmental Health

Date 2022 Sep 23

PMID 36147590

Authors

Seongmin Jo

Kiook Baek

Joon Sakong

Chulyong Park

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Background: Because particulate matter (PM) and asthma are closely related, the prevalence of school absence among adolescents with asthma can be affected by the concentration of PM. We aimed to investigate the relationship between school absences due to asthma and the total number of days that the PM concentration exceeded the standard.

Methods: We used the data from the 16th Korea Youth Risk Behavior Survey and the PM levels of 17 metropolitan cities and provinces gathered from the AirKorea. Information on the characteristics of asthmatic adolescents and the prevalence of school absence was obtained using a questionnaire, while the PM levels based on the total number of days with poor and very poor PM grades were collected from the AirKorea website. Both χ test and logistic regression analysis were performed using the weights presented in the original dataset.

Results: In the case of particulate matter of 10 microns in diameter or smaller (PM), the odds ratio (OR) after adjusting for confounders (sex, school year, body mass index, smoking history, diagnosis of allergic rhinitis, diagnosis of atopic dermatitis and city size) was 1.07 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.01-1.13) for absents due to asthma when the total days of poor and very poor grades of PM (81 μg/m or higher) increased by 1 day. In the analysis of particulate matter of 2.5 microns in diameter or smaller (PM), the OR after adjusting for confounders was 1.01 (95% CI: 1.00-1.03) for absents due to asthma when the total number of days with poor and very poor PM grades (36 μg/m or higher) increased by 1 day.

Conclusions: A significant association was observed between the total number of days of poor and very poor PM and PM grades and school absence due to asthma; PM can cause asthma exacerbation and affect the academic life.

References

Nishiwaki Y, Michikawa T, Takebayashi T, Nitta H, Iso H, Inoue M . Long-term exposure to particulate matter in relation to mortality and incidence of cardiovascular disease: the JPHC Study. J Atheroscler Thromb. 2012; 20(3):296-309. DOI: 10.5551/jat.15347. View

Lee J, Kim H, Song H, Hong Y, Cho Y, Hyun Y . Air pollution and asthma among children in Seoul, Korea. Epidemiology. 2002; 13(4):481-4. DOI: 10.1097/00001648-200207000-00018. View

Meng Y, Rull R, Wilhelm M, Lombardi C, Balmes J, Ritz B . Outdoor air pollution and uncontrolled asthma in the San Joaquin Valley, California. J Epidemiol Community Health. 2010; 64(2):142-7. DOI: 10.1136/jech.2009.083576. View

Tonne C, Wilkinson P . Long-term exposure to air pollution is associated with survival following acute coronary syndrome. Eur Heart J. 2013; 34(17):1306-11. PMC: 3640199. DOI: 10.1093/eurheartj/ehs480. View

Almqvist C, Worm M, Leynaert B . Impact of gender on asthma in childhood and adolescence: a GA2LEN review. Allergy. 2007; 63(1):47-57. DOI: 10.1111/j.1398-9995.2007.01524.x. View

Kim S, Kim M, Park B, Kim J, Choi H . Allergic rhinitis, atopic dermatitis, and asthma are associated with differences in school performance among Korean adolescents. PLoS One. 2017; 12(2):e0171394. PMC: 5312966. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0171394. View

Sutherland E . Linking obesity and asthma. Ann N Y Acad Sci. 2014; 1311:31-41. DOI: 10.1111/nyas.12357. View

Sompornrattanaphan M, Thongngarm T, Ratanawatkul P, Wongsa C, Swigris J . The contribution of particulate matter to respiratory allergy. Asian Pac J Allergy Immunol. 2020; 38(1):19-28. DOI: 10.12932/AP-100619-0579. View

Chan R, Wang M, Li N, Yanagawa Y, Onoe K, Lee J . Pro-oxidative diesel exhaust particle chemicals inhibit LPS-induced dendritic cell responses involved in T-helper differentiation. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2006; 118(2):455-65. DOI: 10.1016/j.jaci.2006.06.006. View

10.

Turner M, Krewski D, Pope 3rd C, Chen Y, Gapstur S, Thun M . Long-term ambient fine particulate matter air pollution and lung cancer in a large cohort of never-smokers. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2011; 184(12):1374-81. DOI: 10.1164/rccm.201106-1011OC. View

11.

Moonie S, Sterling D, Figgs L, Castro M . The relationship between school absence, academic performance, and asthma status. J Sch Health. 2008; 78(3):140-8. DOI: 10.1111/j.1746-1561.2007.00276.x. View

12.

Moonie S, Sterling D, Figgs L, Castro M . Asthma status and severity affects missed school days. J Sch Health. 2006; 76(1):18-24. DOI: 10.1111/j.1746-1561.2006.00062.x. View

13.

Alexis N, Huang Y, Rappold A, Kehrl H, Devlin R, Peden D . Patients with asthma demonstrate airway inflammation after exposure to concentrated ambient particulate matter. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2014; 190(2):235-7. PMC: 4226054. DOI: 10.1164/rccm.201401-0126LE. View

14.

Brauer M, Hoek G, Smit H, de Jongste J, Gerritsen J, Postma D . Air pollution and development of asthma, allergy and infections in a birth cohort. Eur Respir J. 2007; 29(5):879-88. DOI: 10.1183/09031936.00083406. View

15.

McGee M, Kamal A, McGee J, Wood C, Dye J, Krantz Q . Differential effects of particulate matter upwind and downwind of an urban freeway in an allergic mouse model. Environ Sci Technol. 2015; 49(6):3930-9. DOI: 10.1021/es506048k. View

16.

Silverman R, Ito K . Age-related association of fine particles and ozone with severe acute asthma in New York City. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2010; 125(2):367-373.e5. DOI: 10.1016/j.jaci.2009.10.061. View

17.

Kloog I, Ridgway B, Koutrakis P, Coull B, Schwartz J . Long- and short-term exposure to PM2.5 and mortality: using novel exposure models. Epidemiology. 2013; 24(4):555-61. PMC: 4372644. DOI: 10.1097/EDE.0b013e318294beaa. View

18.

Weiss S . Obesity: insight into the origins of asthma. Nat Immunol. 2005; 6(6):537-9. DOI: 10.1038/ni0605-537. View

19.

Kim K, Jahan S, Kabir E . A review on human health perspective of air pollution with respect to allergies and asthma. Environ Int. 2013; 59:41-52. DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2013.05.007. View

20.

Braback L, Forsberg B . Does traffic exhaust contribute to the development of asthma and allergic sensitization in children: findings from recent cohort studies. Environ Health. 2009; 8:17. PMC: 2674435. DOI: 10.1186/1476-069X-8-17. View