Damp housing and childhood asthma; respiratory effects of indoor air temperature and relative humidity

In a questionnaire survey of a random sample of 1000 children aged 7 years, a significantly greater proportion of those living in homes reported as damp were affected by wheeze (22% v 11%), day cough, night cough, and chesty colds. Simultaneous estimation of relative humidity in the bedrooms of 778...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of epidemiology and community health (1979) 1989-03, Vol.43 (1), p.7-14
Main Authors: Strachan, D P, Sanders, C H
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Air temperature
Ambient temperature
Asthma
Asthma - etiology
Bedrooms
Child
Childhood
Children
Environmental Microbiology
Fungi - isolation & purification
Heating
Housing
Humans
Humidity
Humidity - adverse effects
Indoor environments
Microenvironments
Moisture content
Relative humidity
Respiration Disorders - etiology
Respiratory symptoms
Temperature
Vapor pressure
Ventilation
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Summary:In a questionnaire survey of a random sample of 1000 children aged 7 years, a significantly greater proportion of those living in homes reported as damp were affected by wheeze (22% v 11%), day cough, night cough, and chesty colds. Simultaneous estimation of relative humidity in the bedrooms of 778 children and continuous 7 day recordings of ambient temperature and humidity in a stratified sample of 317 bedrooms showed no association with the same respiratory symptoms. No correlation was found between bedroom conditions and baseline ventilatory function or exercise induced reduction in FEV1. These results run counter to the widely held belief that indoor temperature and humidity are important determinants of respiratory ill health, although they do not directly exclude effects due to mites or moulds, whose survival is determined by the humidity of their respective microenvironments.
ISSN:0143-005X
1470-2738
DOI:10.1136/jech.43.1.7