2013•ISEE Conference AbstractsRequires access
Children´s environmental health questionnaire survey 2011
Antonis Georgellis, Anne‐Sophie Merritt, Niklas Worm Andersson, Tom Bellander
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Abstract
Background and aim: In Sweden, national Environmental Health surveys (E&H) have been conducted every 4th year since 1999. The E&H 2011 aimed at describing environment and related health in Swedish children. Methods: The survey was by invitation to answer web questionnaires to more than 84,000 children aged 6-10 months, 4, 8, 12 and 16 years, followed by paper questionnaires to non-responders. It included questions on the child’s health status (allergy, asthma and other airway symptoms as well as hearing difficulties and annoyances), life style factors, family and housing conditions. The exposure questions aimed at describing the child’s exposure to parental smoking, noise, air pollutants, mould and toxic substances. The response rate was 50 % and all prevalence estimates were weighted using demographic variables to correspond to the target population. Changes over time were analysed by comparison with the E&H 2003. Results: . In 2011, 11% of Swedish children lived in homes with a window facing a street with intensive traffic.In addition, 40% of 16- and 20% of 12-year-olds children spend more than one hour each day in traffic environments, going to and from school or other activities. These estimates, and many other, had not changed markedly since 2003. In contrast, in children at 12 years of age, the prevalence of asthma had increased from 6% to 9%, and complaints from noise in the school environment increased from 18% to 31%. Finally, a dramatic decline of exposure to environmental tobacco smoke was observed, from 21% in 2003 to 11% in 2011. Conclusions: Many children live in areas with heavy traffic. The prevalence of asthma and complaints on noise in school had increased in an 8-year period, while exposure to tobacco smoke had decreased. The web and paper-based survey may be used for monitoring the population’s experience of environment and health, giving a basis for decision making on measures to reduce the health risks from different environmental factors.