Suchergebnisse

Background. Two-thirds of complaints received by the Hong Kong Environmental Protection Department in 1988 were related to poor air quality. In July 1990 legislation was implemented to reduce fuel sulphur levels. The objective of this study was to measure the impact of the intervention on respiratory health in primary school children. Methods. In all, 3521 children, mean age 9.51 years (SD = 0.78), from two districts with good and poor air quality respectively before intervention were followed yearly from 1989 to 1991. Children and parents reported the children's respiratory symptoms using self-completed questionnaires. Factor analysis was used to derive independent scores from 12 symptoms. Four groups of related symptoms were identified and binary variables (presence of any symptom in each group) were treated as dependent variables in modelling using generalized estimating equations procedures. Results. In 1989 and 1990 an excess of respiratory symptoms was observed in the polluted compared with unpolluted district. The significant effects (odds ratio [OR], 95% confidence interval [CI], P value) associated with living in the polluted district were: cough and sore throat (OR = 1.22, 95% CI: 1.04-1.43, P < 0.01) and wheezing (OR = 1.35, 95% CI: 1.10-1.66, P < 0.01). After the intervention, in the polluted district only, sulphur dioxide levels fell by up to 80% and sulphate concentrations in respirable particulates by 38%. Between 1989 and 1990-1991 there was a greater decline in the polluted compared with the unpolluted district for reported symptoms of cough or sore throat, phlegm, and wheezing. The risks to respiratory health for children exposed to tobacco smoke in the home were higher than those for air pollution in both 1989 and 1990 and remained unchanged in 1991. Conclusions. Air quality can be improved by fuel controls but an effective intersectoral approach is required if other risks from environmental tobacco smoke are to be avoided. ; published_or_final_version

Study objective - This study examined the impact on children's respiratory health of a government air quality intervention that restricted the sulphur content of fuels to 0.5% from July 1990 onwards. Design/setting/participants - This study examined the changes, one and two years after the introduction of the intervention, in airway hyperreactivity of non-asthmatic and non-wheezing, primary 4, 5, and 6, school children aged 9-12 years living in a polluted district compared with those in a less polluted district. Bronchial hyperreactivity (BHR) (a 20% decrease in FEV, provoked by a cumulative dose of histamine less than 7.8 μmol) and bronchial reactivity slope (BR slope) (percentage change in logarithmic scale in FEV, per unit dose of histamine) were used to estimate responses to a histamine challenge. The between districts differences after the intervention were studied to assess the effectiveness of the intervention. Main results - In cohorts, comparing measurements made before the intervention and one year afterwards, both BHR and BR slope declined from 29% to 16% (p = 0.026) and from 48 to 39 (p = 0.075) respectively in the polluted district; and from 21% to 10% (p = 0.001) and 42 to 36 (p > 0.100) in the less polluted district. Comparing measurements made in 1991 (one year after intervention) with those in 1992 (two years after intervention), only the polluted district showed a significant decline from 28% to 12% (p = 0.016) and from 46 to 35 (p = 0.014), for BHR and BR slope respectively, with a greater decline in both responses (p = 0.018 and 0.073) than in the less polluted district. Conclusion - Bronchial hyperresponsiveness tests can be used to support the evaluation of an air quality intervention. The demonstrated reduction in bronchial hyperresponsiveness is an indication of the effectiveness of the intervention. ; published_or_final_version