Prevalence and Treatment of Children's Asthma in Rural Areas Compared with Urban Areas in Beijing |
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Authors: | Wen-Jing Zhu Hai-Xia Ma Hui-Ying Cui Xu Lu Ming-Jun Shao Shuo Li Yan-Qing Luo Qiang Wang Chun-Yu Xu Dong-Qun Xu Chuan-He Liu Yu-Zhi Chen |
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Affiliation: | 1.Center for Asthma Prevention and Education, Capital Institute of Pediatrics, Beijing 100020, China;2.Department of Pediatrics, Liangxiang Hospital, Fangshan District, Beijing 102401, China;3.Department of Pediatrics, Tongzhou Maternal and Child Health Hospital, Beijing 101199, China;4.Institute of Environmental Health and Related Product Safety, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing 100021, China |
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Abstract: | Background:The prevalence of childhood asthma has been increasing in China. This study aimed to compare the prevalence, diagnosis, and treatment of asthmatic children from urban and rural areas in Beijing, China.Methods:Schools, communities, and kindergartens were randomly selected by cluster random sampling from urban and rural areas in Beijing. Parents were surveyed by the same screening questionnaires. On-the-spot inquiries, physical examinations, medical records, and previous test results were used to diagnose asthmatic children. Information on previous diagnoses, treatments, and control of symptoms was obtained.Results:From 7209 children in rural areas and 13,513 children in urban areas who completed screening questionnaires, 587 children were diagnosed as asthma. The prevalence of asthma in rural areas was lower than in urban areas (1.25% vs. 3.68%, χ2 = 100.80, P < 0.001). The diagnosis of asthma in rural areas was lower than in urban areas (48.9% vs. 73.9%, χ2 = 34.6, P < 0.001). Compared with urban asthmatic children (56.5%), only 35.6% of rural asthmatic children received inhaled corticosteroids (P < 0.05). The use of bronchodilators was also lower in rural areas than in urban areas (56.5% vs. 66.4%, χ2 = 14.2, P < 0.01).Conclusion:The prevalence of asthma in children was lower in rural areas compared with children in the urban area of Beijing. A considerable number of children were not diagnosed and inadequately treated in rural areas. |
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Keywords: | Asthma Children Diagnosis Treatment Rural Urban |
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