Prevalence of asthma and allergy in schoolchildren in Belmont, Australia: three cross sectional surveys over 20 years

Abstract

We conducted all studies during June and July in primary schools in and around Belmont, a coastal suburb some 150 km north of Sydney, Australia. We invited all children in years 3, 4, and 5 (ages 8-11 years) at selected schools to participate and studied only children who had parental consent. Parents completed a questionnaire about symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment of asthma and other allergic illnesses. We used a histamine challenge test to measure airway hyperresponsiveness and assessed atopy by skin prick tests to house dust, Dermatophagoides farinae, D pterronyssinus, ryegrass, cockroach, cat, Alternaria tenuis (Hollistier-Stier, Spokane, WA, USA). Questionnaires and tests were the same as in 1992.1 The data collected in 1982 are not directly comparable because only 8-10 year old children were included and some equipment was different1. Owing to a low initial response rate in 2002 a single page anonymous questionnaire was issued to parents who had not consented to their child's participation in the clinical tests. The limited data from this questionnaire have been included.