SES STATUS AND FREQUENCY OF RESPIRATORY DISEASES AMONG SCHOOL CHILDREN IN EASTERN SLOVAKIA

The air pollution belongs to the most important environmental threat to human health. Particularly sensitive are children, elderly people and patients with chronic conditions. Individual susceptibility is influenced by many factors: age, nutrition, presence of disease, genetic determination, global health status. Children are a focus points in the health protection considering possibilities of early organs and functions impairment. Material and methods. Cross-sectional study of respiratory health included measurements of pulmonary function (1994-2000). Parents questionnaires collected data about socio-economic status and reported respiratory morbidity and symptoms in children. Data were received from 8 exposed and 1 control area in eastern Slovakia, included totally 1805 filled questionnaires from parents of children 6 11 years old. Pulmonary functions were evaluated in 1337 children from exposed areas and 193 children from control area. Results confirmed impact of SES on the incidence of acute respiratory infection (ARI) in children and incidence of lower respiratory infection (LRI). ARI were statistically more frequent in families with lower education, local heating system, in children with respiratory allergy and in children living in higher outdoor air pollution score- AP. Lower respiratory infection were influenced by air pollution score, parents education, allergy in children and parents. ETS- environmental tobacco smoke- wasn't confirmed as statistically important factor neither for respiratory symptoms nor for lower pulmonary function. ETS exposure might be influenced by domestic habits where indoor smoking indoor is mostly refused by families. We confirmed impact on SES on higher incidence of respiratory diseases (upper airways respiratory diseases and lower airways respiratory diseases) in schoolchildren, but the study didn't confirm the effect of parent's smoking on the incidence of respiratory diseases.