Study on blood lead level and related factors in children

Objective:To grasp the blood lead level of children in Wuhan,analyze the effect factors of increase of blood lead level,and make intervention measures to reduce the blood lead level of children.Methods:The stratified randomized cluster sampling method was used to select neonates from a medical care organization,children aged 0~3 years living in two blocks of a urban district,children above 3 years old from 6 kindergartens,their mothers were surveyed and asked to finish a questionnaire,the lead level in finger blood was detected by atomic absorption spectrometer.Results:The incidence rate of lead poisoning in children was 9.8%,the incidence rate of lead poisoning in boys was significantly higher than that in girls(P0.01).The blood lead level increased with aging,and there was a positive correlation between blood lead level and age.The blood lead level of children was related to age of their parents and education level of their fathers.8 factors including floor,the distance between house and road,time of house fit up,adjacent lead factory,walking times,eating popcorn,puffed food and elements levels(calcium,zinc,iron)were related to blood lead level of children significantly;multiple stepwise regression analysis showed that effect factors of blood lead level included strong destructiveness,learning difficulty,eating popcorn and family members smoking.Conclusion:Health education,adjusting nutritional diet and developing a good habit maybe effective and economic methods for reducing lead poisoning in children.