Skip to main content
PMC home page
Archives of Disease in Childhood logoLink to Archives of Disease in Childhood
. 1996 Feb;74(2):131–135. doi: 10.1136/adc.74.2.131

Prevalence and severity of asthma, rhinitis, and eczema in Singapore schoolchildren.

D Y Goh 1, F T Chew 1, S C Quek 1, B W Lee 1
PMCID: PMC1511500  PMID: 8660075

Abstract

This study was part of an international effort to evaluate the epidemiology of asthma and allergic diseases around the world. The aim was to assess the prevalence and severity of these disorders in Singapore schoolchildren. The international study of asthma and allergies in childhood (ISAAC) written questionnaire was administered to 6238 schoolchildren. The respondents were parents of a 6-7 year cohort (n = 2030), and schoolchildren aged 12-15 years (n = 4208). The overall cumulative and 12 month prevalence of wheezing were 22% and 12%, respectively. The prevalence of doctor diagnosed asthma was 20%. Rhinitis was reported by 44% and chronic rashes by 12%. Multiple logistic regression analysis showed that a higher prevalence of wheezing and rhinitis was associated with males, and subjects of higher socioeconomic status (based on type of housing and total family income). More severe asthma related symptoms were present in Malays and Indians than in the Chinese. Allergic disorders are common in Singapore and prevalence is comparable to some populations in the West. Demographic and socioeconomic factors appear to influence the prevalence and severity of these disorders.

Full text

PDF
131

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Burney P. G., Chinn S., Rona R. J. Has the prevalence of asthma increased in children? Evidence from the national study of health and growth 1973-86. BMJ. 1990 May 19;300(6735):1306–1310. doi: 10.1136/bmj.300.6735.1306. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Burr M. L., Butland B. K., King S., Vaughan-Williams E. Changes in asthma prevalence: two surveys 15 years apart. Arch Dis Child. 1989 Oct;64(10):1452–1456. doi: 10.1136/adc.64.10.1452. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Chong T. M. Pattern of bronchial asthma in Singapore. Singapore Med J. 1972 Jun;13(3):154–160. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Connett G. J., Quak S. H., Wong M. L., Teo J., Lee B. W. Lung function reference values in Singaporean children aged 6-18 years. Thorax. 1994 Sep;49(9):901–905. doi: 10.1136/thx.49.9.901. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Egbuonu L., Starfield Child health and social status. Pediatrics. 1982 May;69(5):550–557. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Fleming D. M., Crombie D. L. Prevalence of asthma and hay fever in England and Wales. Br Med J (Clin Res Ed) 1987 Jan 31;294(6567):279–283. doi: 10.1136/bmj.294.6567.279. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Hamman R. F., Halil T., Holland W. W. Asthma in schoolchildren. Demographic associations and peak expiratory flow rates compared in children with bronchitis. Br J Prev Soc Med. 1975 Dec;29(4):228–238. doi: 10.1136/jech.29.4.228. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Hsieh K. H., Shen J. J. Prevalence of childhood asthma in Taipei, Taiwan, and other Asian Pacific countries. J Asthma. 1988;25(2):73–82. doi: 10.3109/02770908809071357. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Kaplan B. A., Mascie-Taylor C. G. Biosocial factors in the epidemiology of childhood asthma in a British national sample. J Epidemiol Community Health. 1985 Jun;39(2):152–156. doi: 10.1136/jech.39.2.152. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Lee B. W., Teo J., Vellayappan K. Role of atopy in childhood asthma. J Singapore Paediatr Soc. 1989;31(1-2):53–59. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Leung R., Jenkins M. Asthma, allergy and atopy in southern Chinese school students. Clin Exp Allergy. 1994 Apr;24(4):353–358. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2222.1994.tb00246.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Ng T. P., Hui K. P., Tan W. C. Prevalence of asthma and risk factors among Chinese, Malay, and Indian adults in Singapore. Thorax. 1994 Apr;49(4):347–351. doi: 10.1136/thx.49.4.347. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Ninan T. K., Russell G. Respiratory symptoms and atopy in Aberdeen schoolchildren: evidence from two surveys 25 years apart. BMJ. 1992 Apr 4;304(6831):873–875. doi: 10.1136/bmj.304.6831.873. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Omar A. H. Respiratory symptoms and asthma in primary school children in Kuala Lumpur. Acta Paediatr Jpn. 1990 Apr;32(2):183–187. doi: 10.1111/j.1442-200x.1990.tb00807.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Pearce N., Weiland S., Keil U., Langridge P., Anderson H. R., Strachan D., Bauman A., Young L., Gluyas P., Ruffin D. Self-reported prevalence of asthma symptoms in children in Australia, England, Germany and New Zealand: an international comparison using the ISAAC protocol. Eur Respir J. 1993 Nov;6(10):1455–1461. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Peckham C., Butler N. A national study of asthma in childhood. J Epidemiol Community Health. 1978 Jun;32(2):79–85. doi: 10.1136/jech.32.2.79. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Pöysä L., Korppi M., Pietikäinen M., Remes K., Juntunen-Backman K. Asthma, allergic rhinitis and atopic eczema in Finnish children and adolescents. Allergy. 1991 Apr;46(3):161–165. doi: 10.1111/j.1398-9995.1991.tb00564.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Robertson C. F., Heycock E., Bishop J., Nolan T., Olinsky A., Phelan P. D. Prevalence of asthma in Melbourne schoolchildren: changes over 26 years. BMJ. 1991 May 11;302(6785):1116–1118. doi: 10.1136/bmj.302.6785.1116. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Sears M. R., Burrows B., Flannery E. M., Herbison G. P., Hewitt C. J., Holdaway M. D. Relation between airway responsiveness and serum IgE in children with asthma and in apparently normal children. N Engl J Med. 1991 Oct 10;325(15):1067–1071. doi: 10.1056/NEJM199110103251504. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. Shaw R. A., Crane J., Pearce N., Burgess C. D., Bremner P., Woodman K., Beasley R. Comparison of a video questionnaire with the IUATLD written questionnaire for measuring asthma prevalence. Clin Exp Allergy. 1992 May;22(5):561–568. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2222.1992.tb00166.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  21. Strachan D. P., Anderson H. R., Limb E. S., O'Neill A., Wells N. A national survey of asthma prevalence, severity, and treatment in Great Britain. Arch Dis Child. 1994 Mar;70(3):174–178. doi: 10.1136/adc.70.3.174. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  22. Sullivan S. D., Weiss K. B. Assessing cost-effectiveness in asthma care: building an economic model to study the impact of alternative intervention strategies. Allergy. 1993;48(17 Suppl):146–163. doi: 10.1111/j.1398-9995.1993.tb04719.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  23. Weeke E. R. Epidemiology of allergic diseases in children. Rhinol Suppl. 1992 Sep;13:5–12. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  24. Weiss K. B., Gergen P. J., Hodgson T. A. An economic evaluation of asthma in the United States. N Engl J Med. 1992 Mar 26;326(13):862–866. doi: 10.1056/NEJM199203263261304. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  25. Zhong N. S., Chen R. C., O-yang M., Wu J. Y., Fu W. X., Shi L. J. Bronchial hyperresponsiveness in young students of southern China: relation to respiratory symptoms, diagnosed asthma, and risk factors. Thorax. 1990 Nov;45(11):860–865. doi: 10.1136/thx.45.11.860. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Archives of Disease in Childhood are provided here courtesy of BMJ Publishing Group

RESOURCES