The Environmental and Educational Management Effects of Atopic Dermatitis in a Seoul Elementary School

Seong-Ho Yoon; You Cheol Jeong; Jae Hyung Choi; Hey-Sung Baek; Jae-Won Oh; Dong-Heon Ahn; Ha-Baik Lee

doi:10.7581/pard.2011.21.4.285

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Yoon, Jeong, Choi, Baek, Oh, Ahn, and Lee: The Environmental and Educational Management Effects of Atopic Dermatitis in a Seoul Elementary School

Abstract

Pediatr Allergy Respir Dis 2011;21(4):285-293.

Published online: 20 January 2011

DOI: https://doi.org/10.7581/pard.2011.21.4.285

The Environmental and Educational Management Effects of Atopic Dermatitis in a Seoul Elementary School

Seong-Ho Yoon, MD¹, You Cheol Jeong, MD¹, Jae Hyung Choi, MD, PhD¹, Hey-Sung Baek, MD, PhD², Jae-Won Oh, MD, PhD¹, Dong-Heon Ahn, MD, PhD³, Ha-Baik Lee, MD, PhD^1,

¹Department of Pediatrics, Hanyang University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea

²Department of Pediatrics, Gangdong Sacred Heart Hospital, Hallym University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea

³Department of Psychology, Hanyang University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea

책임저자:이하백, 서울시 성동구 행당동 17 한양대학교 의과대학 소아과학교실 Tel: 02)2290-8385 Fax: 02)2297-2380 E-mail: hablee@hanyang.ac.kr

Received 22 July 2011 Revised 22 August 2011 Accepted 8 September 2011

This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0) which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Abstract

Purpose

This study was conducted to address a school-based program to properly manage atopic dermatitis in school children.

Methods

A modified Korean version of written questionnaires from the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood was completed by the parents of 125 first-grade children. Skin prick tests (SPTs) for nine common inhalants and food allergens were performed. Air cleaners, HEPA vacuum cleaners, wet blackboards, and wet towels were used to clean the floor in the classroom. Students and their parents participated in school-based educational programs about atopic dermatitis. A follow-up questionnaire and SPTs were performed at 6 months after improving the classroom conditions. Indoor air quality was measured at the 3 months interval in July and September of the same year after the school-based program.

Results

The prevalence of itchy eczema ever and a diagnosis of atopic dermatitis, within “” “the last 12 months was 26.4% and 12.0%, respectively. Eleven students (34.4%) showed positive” results among 32 students who were examined with SPTs. All children who showed positive results were sensitized with house dust mites. After the environmental change, the prevalence of itchy “eczema within the last 6 months and diagnosis of atopic dermatitis within the last 6 months was” “” 14.7% and 7.8%, respectively. Skin reactivity assessed by mean wheal diameter decreased. Measured indoor air quality values improved in all classrooms by September.

Conclusion

School-based environmental changes and educational programs including a partnership among home, school, society, and the public health care center could be applied to better manage atopic dermatitis in school children.

Keywords: School-Based Program, Atopic Dermatitis, Education

References

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Fig. 1.

Modified International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood written Questionnaires were conducted before (A) and 6 months after (B) school-based better management programs.

Fig. 2.

The results of skin prick tests. Number of sensitized allergens (A) and mean wheal diameter (B) in before and after the environmental change (P <0.05).

Table 1.

The Prevalence of Atopic Dermatitis in School Children Studied

		Before the environmental change			After the environmental change
		Male	Female	Total		Male	Female	Total
Itchy eczema	Ever	14	19	33	Last 6 mo	6	11	17
		(11.2%)	(15.2%)	(26.4%)		(5.2%)	(9.5%)	(14.7%)
Diagnosis of AD	Last 12 mo	6	9	15	Last 6 mo	2	7	9
		(4.8%)	(7.2%)	(12.0%)		(1.7%)	(6.0%)	(7.8%)

AD, atopic dermatitis.

Table 2.

Indoor Air Quality Measured after School-Based Program at July and September 2009 in School Classroom

No	Classroom	Fine particulate 3) (g/m µ		CO (ppm)		CO₂ (ppm)		HCHO (ppm)		Result
No	Classroom		150 ≤ ^∗		25 ≤ ^∗		1,000 ≤ ^∗		0.096 ≤ ^∗	Result
		1st^†	2nd^‡	1st^†	2nd^‡	1st^†	2nd^‡	1st^†	2nd^‡	1st^†	2nd^‡
1	1–1	112.7	25.0	0.1	0	574	500	0	0	Normal	Normal
2	2–1	398.0	35.0	0.6	0.8	2154	499	0.01	0	Abnormal	Normal
3	6–1	114.2	44.2	0.1	0.3	842	430	0.29	0.02	Abnormal	Normal
4	6–2	84.0	62.0	0	0	1,122	402	0	0	Abnormal	Normal

These data values were measured by Seong Dong Gu Health Center. These survey was conducted during school-based better management programs. CO, carbon monoxide; CO₂, carbon dioxide; HCHO, formaldehyde.

^∗ Standard level (SL) was prescribed by The Ministry of Environment.

^† 1st, July 2009.

^‡ 2nd, September 2009.

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