Respiratory symptoms and duration of residence in immigrant teenagers living in Melbourne, Australia

• Published in: Archives of disease in childhood Vol. 81; no. 2; pp. 159 - 162
• Main Authors: Powell, C V E, Nolan, T M, Carlin, J B, Bennett, C M, Johnson, P D R
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London BMJ Publishing Group Ltd and Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health 01.08.1999; BMJ; BMJ Publishing Group LTD; BMJ Group
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adolescents; Age; Asian people; Asthma; Asthma - epidemiology; Biological and medical sciences; Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, asthma; Confidence intervals; Cross-Sectional Studies; Emigration and Immigration - statistics & numerical data; environmental factors; Environmental Influences; High School Students; Humans; Medical sciences; Numbers; Original; Pneumology; Population Distribution; Prevalence; Questionnaires; Research Assistants; Residence Characteristics; Respiratory Sounds - etiology; Sampling; Schools; Secondary school students; Statistical Analysis; Statistical Distributions; Studies; Tuberculosis; Victoria - epidemiology; wheezing; Australia; Oceania; Victoria; New Zealand; East Asia; United Kingdom > UK; Africa; Human; Prevalence; Hyperreactivity; Immigrant; Respiratory disease; Adolescent; Risk factor; Bronchus; Wheezing; Duration; Obstructive pulmonary disease; Asthma
• ISSN: 0003-9888; 1468-2044
• DOI: 10.1136/adc.81.2.159

OBJECTIVE Examination of the relation between respiratory symptoms and time since arrival in Australia in immigrant teenagers living in Melbourne. DESIGN Two stage, stratified, cross sectional survey. SETTING High schools (n = 51). SUBJECTS 9794 people aged 13–19 years. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Prevalence of wheeze during a 12 month period, region of birth, duration of residence in Australia. RESULTS The estimated population 12 month period prevalence of wheeze was 18.9% (95% confidence interval (CI), 18.0 to 19.9). In subjects born outside Australia, residence for five to nine years in Australia was associated with a 2.1-fold (CI, 1.1 to 4.0) increase in the odds of self reported wheeze; after 10–14 years, this risk increased 3.4-fold (CI, 1.8 to 6.7). There was no difference in severity of wheeze, measured by reported frequency of attacks, between Australian born and non-Australian born subjects. CONCLUSIONS The notion of a continued secular increase in the prevalence of wheezing is not supported. There is a time dose effect on the prevalence of symptoms in subjects born outside Australia and now living in Melbourne, which is independent of age and country of birth.