A Cross-sectional Epidemiological Study on Trends in the Prevalence of Allergic Diseases among Children and Adolescents in the Jeju Area in 2008 and 2013

Hye-Sook Lee; Sung-Chul Hong; Jeong Hong Kim; Jae-Wang Kim; Keun-Hwa Lee; Jaechun Lee

doi:10.12799/jkachn.2015.26.2.160

Journal List > J Korean Acad Community Health Nurs > v.26(2) > 1058375

Go to TopGo to Top Go to BottomGo to Bottom

TOOLS

Lee, Hong, Kim, Kim, Lee, and Lee: A Cross-sectional Epidemiological Study on Trends in the Prevalence of Allergic Diseases among Children and Adolescents in the Jeju Area in 2008 and 2013

Original Article

Journal of Korean Academy of Community Health Nursing 2015; 26(2): 160-168.

Published online: 30 June 2015

DOI: https://doi.org/10.12799/jkachn.2015.26.2.160

A Cross-sectional Epidemiological Study on Trends in the Prevalence of Allergic Diseases among Children and Adolescents in the Jeju Area in 2008 and 2013

Hye-Sook Lee¹, Sung-Chul Hong², Jeong Hong Kim³, Jae-Wang Kim⁴, Keun-Hwa Lee⁵, Jaechun Lee⁶

¹School of Medicine, Jeju National University, The Environmental Health Center, Jeju, Korea.

²School of Medicine, Jeju National University, The Environmental Health Center, Preventive Medicine, Jeju, Korea.

³School of Medicine, Jeju National University, The Environmental Health Center, Otorhinolaryngology, Jeju, Korea.

⁴School of Medicine, Jeju National University, The Environmental Health Center, Dermatology, Jeju, Korea.

⁵School of Medicine, Jeju National University, The Environmental Health Center, Microbiology, Jeju, Korea.

⁶School of Medicine, Jeju National University, The Environmental Health Center, Internal Medicine, Jeju, Korea.

Corresponding author: Lee, Hye-Sook. School of Medicine, Jeju National University, The Environmental Health Center, 102 Jejudaehak-ro, Jeju 690-756, Korea. Tel: +82-64-754-3808, Fax: +82-64-726-3803, hslee0289@jejunu.ac.kr

Received 11 September 2014 Revised 18 June 2015 Accepted 26 June 2015

(open-access):

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 to find epidemiological trends in the prevalence of allergic diseases among children and adolescents in Jeju Province, Korea.

Methods

Two questionnaire surveys of the same method were conducted, respectively, in 2008 and in 2013 with five years' interval with 1,296 participants in 2008 and 878 in 2013 who were elementary and secondary students sampled at random from the same five schools. 'International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC)' was applied to the parents with their written consent to the survey.

Results

The results of analysis showed an increasing trend in the prevalence of lifetime asthma (8.6% in 2008 and 10.4% in 2013) and in the prevalence of lifetime allergic rhinitis (25.3% in 2008 and 31.1% in 2013) (p=.003), and a decreasing trend in the prevalence of lifetime atopic dermatitis (32.0% in 2008 and 26.8% in 2013) (p=.011).

Conclusion

This research showed an increasing trend in the prevalence of asthma and allergic rhinitis among children and adolescents in Jeju Province compared to that 5 years ago, but represented a declining trend in the prevalence of atopic dermatitis.

Keywords: Prevalence, Asthma, Allergic rhinitis, Atopic dermatitis, Students

Figures and Tables

Table 1

Participants' General Characteristics in 2008 and 2013

Characteristics	2008	2013	p
Characteristics	n (%) or M±SD	n (%) or M±SD	p
Participants (age range)
Elementary school children (7~12)	534 (41.2)	332 (37.8)	.255
Middle school children (13~15)	371 (28.6)	273 (31.1)
High school children (16~18)	391 (30.2)	273 (31.1)
	13.2±3.25 (7~18)^†	13.2±3.27 (7~18)^†	.793
Gender
Male	645 (49.8)	417 (47.5)	.298
Female	651 (50.2)	461 (52.5)
Total	1,296 (100.0)	878 (100.0)

^†Age, Mean±Standard Deviation (Age Range).

Table 2

Comparison of Prevalence of Asthma Symptoms, Lifetime Diagnosis, Treatments in Jeju Children and Adolescents between 2008 and 2013

Items	Elementary (7~12 yr)		Middle (13~15 yr)		High (16~18 yr)		Total (7~18 yr)
Items	2008	2013	2008	2013	2008	2013	2008	2013
Wheeze symptoms, ever	14.6	12.6	12.6	15.9	10.4	17.2	12.8	15.0
Lifetime diagnosis of asthma	10.2	9.7	7.8	13.6^*	6.8	8.2	8.6	10.4
Tx of asthma, last 12 months	2.3	2.8	2.4	1.9	1.4	2.3	2.1	2.3

Note. Values are presented as %; Tx=treatment; ^*p<.05.

Table 3

Comparison of Prevalence of Allergic Rhinitis Symptoms, Lifetime Diagnosis, Treatments in Jeju Children and Adolescents between 2008 and 2013

Items	Elementary (7~12 yr)		Middle (13~15 yr)		High (16~18 yr)		Total (7~18 yr)
Items	2008	2013	2008	2013	2008	2013	2008	2013
AR symptoms, ever	37.9	40.3	44.8	43.6	45.9	46.8	42.2	43.4
Lifetime diagnosis of AR	22.4	28.9^*	22.5	27.8	31.9	37.0	25.3	31.1^**
Tx of AR, last 12 months	16.5	21.1	16.4	19.7	24.1	23.9	18.7	21.5

Note. Values are presented as %; AR=allergic rhinitis; Tx=treatment; ^*p<.05, ^**p<.01.

Table 4

Comparison of Prevalence of Atopic Dermatitis Symptoms, Lifetime Diagnosis, Treatments in Jeju Children and Adolescents between 2008 and 2013

Items	Elementary (7~12 yr)		Middle (13~15 yr)		High (16~18 yr)		Total (7~18 yr)
Items	2008	2013	2008	2013	2008	2013	2008	2013
Itchy eczema symptoms, ever	26.3	22.9	22.9	20.7	21.3	28.5^*	23.9	24.0
Lifetime diagnosis of AD	42.8	29.4^**	24.5	20.7	23.4	29.9	32.0	26.8^*
Tx of AD, last 12 months	16.8	16.0	10.7	8.7	8.3	11.2	12.6	12.3

Note. Values are presented as %; AD=atopic dermatitis; Tx=treatment; ^*p<.05, ^**p<.001.

Notes

This research was supported by the Environmental Health Center, the Ministry of Environment.

References

1. Williams H, Stewart A, Mutius EV, Cookson W, Anderson HR. International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC) phase one and three study groups. Is eczema really on the increase worldwide? J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2008; 121(4):947–954.e15. DOI: 10.1016/j.jaci.2007.11.004.

2. Asher MI, Montefort S, Bjorksten B, Lai CK, Strachan DP, Weiland SK, et al. Worldwide time trends in the prevalence of symptoms of asthma, allergic rhinoconjunctivitis, and eczema in childhood: ISAAC phases one and three repeat multicountry cross-sectional surveys. Lancet. 2006; 368(9537):733–743.

3. Lee SI, Shin MH, Lee HB, Lee JS, Son BK, Koh YY, et al. Prevalences of symptoms of asthma and other allergic diseases in Korean children: A nationwide questionnaire survey. J Korean Med Sci. 2001; 16(2):155–164.

4. Oh JW, Kim KE, Pyun BY, Lee HR, Choung JT, Hong SJ, et al. Nationwide study for epidemiological change of atopic dermatitis in school aged children between 1995 and 2000 and kindergarten aged children in 2003 in Korea. Pediatr Allergy Respir Dis. 2003; 13(4):227–237.

5. Hong SJ, Lee MS, Sohn MH, Shim JY, Han YS, Park KS, et al. Self-reported prevalence and risk factors of asthma among Korean adolescents: 5-year follow-up study, 1995-2000. Clin Exp Allergy. 2004; 34(10):1556–1562. DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2222.2004.02084.x.

6. Hong SJ, Ahn KM, Lee SY, Kim KE. The prevalences of asthma and allergic diseases in Korean children. Pediatr Allergy Respir Dis. 2008; 18(1):15–25.

7. Jee HM, Kim KW, Kim CS, Sohn MH, Shin DC, Kim KE. Prevalence of asthma, rhinitis and eczema in Korean children using the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC) questionnaires. Pediatr Allergy Respir Dis. 2009; 19(2):165–172.

8. Lee SI. Prevalence of childhood asthma in Korea: International study of asthma and allergies in childhood. Allergy Asthma Immunol Res. 2010; 2(2):61–64. DOI: 10.4168/aair.2010.2.2.61.

9. Ahn K, Kim J, Kwon HJ, Chae Y, Hahm MI, Lee KJ, et al. The prevalence of symptoms of asthma, allergic rhinoconjunctivitis, and eczema in Korean children: Nationwide cross-sectional survey using complex sampling design. J Korean Med Assoc. 2011; 54:769–778. DOI: 10.5124/jkma.2011.54.7.769.

10. Oh IH, Yoon SJ, Kim EJ. The burden of disease in Korea. J Korean Med Assoc. 2011; 54(6):646–652.

11. Kim SY. The economic burden of allergic rhinitis in Korea [master's thesis]. Seoul: Korea University;2010. 39.

12. Kim EJ, Kim HO, Park YM. A study on quality of life and economic burden in Korean patients with atopic dermatitis and their parents. Korean J Dermatol. 2008; 46(2):160–170.

13. National Health Insurance Corporation. The patients with major environmental diseases are 7.59 million people in 2008 [Internet]. Seoul: National Health Insurance Corporation;2010. cited 2014 Jan 25. Available from: http://blog.daum.net/nhic-hongbo/23.

14. Kim YH, Urm SH, Kim WK. Prevalence of allergic diseases and risk factors in preschool children, 2009. Pediatr Allergy Respir Dis. 2011; 21(3):165–175.

15. Yoon JK, Sim CS, Choi SW, Oh IB, Lee JH, Kim Y. Prevalence of atopic and allergic disorders in children attending an elementary school in Ulsan. Korean J Asthma Allergy Clin Immunol. 2011; 31(2):105–115.

16. Kim DS, Park MR, Yu JS, Lee HS, Lee JH, Suh J, et al. Prevalence and risk factors of asthma and allergic rhinitis in elementary school children in Jinan-Gun. Pediatr Allergy Respir Dis. 2012; 22(4):374–382. DOI: 10.7581/pard.2012.22.4.374.

17. Kim BS, Kim HB, Lee SY, Kim JH, Jin HS, Kim BJ, et al. Prevalence of allergic diseases in high school students in Korea. Korean J Asthma Allergy Clin Immunol. 2007; 27(3):168–175.

18. Park SH, Lim DH, Son BK, Kim JH, Song YE, Oh IB, et al. Sensitization rates of airborne pollen and mold in children. Korean J Pediatr. 2012; 55(9):322–329. DOI: 10.3345/kjp.2012.55.9.322.

19. Lee HS, Hong SC, Kim JW, Kim SY, Lee KH, Kim JH, et al. A comparative study on sensitization rates of aeroallergen of the students is the urban, coastal and tangerine farming areas in Jeju. Korean Public Health Res. 2011; 37(1):73–83.

20. Lee HS, Lee JC, Kim JW, Hong SC, Kim SY, Lee KH. The prevalence of allergic diseases in children living in Jeju. Pediatr Allergy Respir Dis. 2012; 22(3):248–255. DOI: 10.7581/pard.2012.22.3.248.

21. Lee MH, Hong SC, Kim SH, Bahn JW, Chang YS, Kim TB, et al. Prevalence of asthma and atopy in children living in rural areas of Cheju island for an interval of three years. J Asthma Allergy Clin Immunol. 2002; 22(1):85–91.

22. Jeon BH, Lee JC, Kim JH, Kim JW, Lee HS, Lee KW. Atopy and sensitization rates to aeroallergens in children and teenagers in Jeju, Korea. Korean J Asthma Allergy Clin Immunol. 2010; 30(1):14–20.

23. Choi SW, Ju YS, Kim DS, Kim JY, Kwon HJ, Kang DH, et al. Reliability and validity of the Korean version of ISAAC questionnaire. Korean J Prev Med. 1998; 31(3):361–371.

24. Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Reports on the Korea youth risk behavior web-based survey [Internet]. Seoul: Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention;2013. cited 2014 August 29. Available from: http://yhs.cdc.go.kr.

25. Kim JD, Kang YK. National health insurance statistical yearbook. Seoul: National Health Insurance Service, Health Insurance Review & Assessment Service;2011. p. 725.

26. Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 2012 community health survey [Internet]. Seoul: Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention;2013. cited 2014 August 25. Available from: http://chs.cdc.go.kr/chs/index.do.

27. Yu J. Allergic march: Progression from atopic dermatitis to asthma. Korean J Asthma Allergy Clin Immunol. 2012; 32(3):137–143.

28. National Health Insurance Corporation. Atopic dermatitis patients with severe itching are one million people every year [Internet]. Seoul: National Health Insurance Corporation;2014. cited 2014 March 26. Available from: http://www.nhis.or.kr/menu/retriveMenuSet.xx?menuId=D4000.

29. Kim BS, Kim HB, Lee SY, Kim JH, Jin HS, Kim BJ, et al. Prevalence of allergic diseases in high school students in Korea. Korean J Asthma Allergy Clin Immunol. 2007; 27(3):168–175.

TOOLS

Similar articles