Lanthier-Veilleux Mathieu, Baron Geneviève, Généreux Mélissa
Department of Community Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, QC J1H 5N4, Canada.
Public Health Department of Eastern Townships, 300 King East, Sherbrooke, QC J1G 1B1, Canada.
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2016 Nov 18;13(11):1154. doi: 10.3390/ijerph13111154.
University students are frequently exposed to residential dampness or mold (i.e., visible mold, mold odor, dampness, or water leaks), a well-known contributor to asthma, allergic rhinitis, and respiratory infections. This study aims to: (a) describe the prevalence of these respiratory diseases among university students; and (b) examine the independent contribution of residential dampness or mold to these diseases. An online survey was conducted in March 2014 among the 26,676 students registered at the Université de Sherbrooke (Quebec, Canada). Validated questions and scores were used to assess self-reported respiratory diseases (i.e., asthma-like symptoms, allergic rhinitis, and respiratory infections), residential dampness or mold, and covariates (e.g., student characteristics). Using logistic regressions, the crude and adjusted odd ratios between residential dampness or mold and self-reported respiratory diseases were examined. Results from the participating students ( = 2097; response rate: 8.1%) showed high prevalence of allergic rhinitis (32.6%; 95% CI: 30.6-34.7), asthma-like symptoms (24.0%; 95% CI: 22.1-25.8) and respiratory infections (19.4%; 95% CI: 17.7-21.2). After adjustment, exposure to residential dampness or mold was associated with allergic rhinitis (OR: 1.25; 95% CI: 1.01-1.55) and asthma-like symptoms (OR: 1.70; 95% CI: 1.37-2.11), but not with respiratory infections (OR: 1.07; 95% CI: 0.85-1.36). Among symptomatic students, this exposure was also associated with uncontrolled and burdensome respiratory symptoms ( < 0.01). University students report a high prevalence of allergic rhinitis, asthma-like symptoms and respiratory infections. A common indoor hazard, residential dampness or mold, may play a role in increasing atopic respiratory diseases and their suboptimal control in young adults. These results emphasize the importance for public health organizations to tackle poor housing conditions, especially amongst university students who should be considered "at-risk".
大学生经常接触到居住环境中的潮湿或霉菌（即可见霉菌、霉菌气味、潮湿或漏水），这是导致哮喘、过敏性鼻炎和呼吸道感染的一个众所周知的因素。本研究旨在：（a）描述这些呼吸道疾病在大学生中的患病率；（b）研究居住环境中的潮湿或霉菌对这些疾病的独立影响。2014年3月，对加拿大魁北克舍布鲁克大学注册的26676名学生进行了一项在线调查。使用经过验证的问题和评分来评估自我报告的呼吸道疾病（即哮喘样症状、过敏性鼻炎和呼吸道感染）、居住环境中的潮湿或霉菌以及协变量（如学生特征）。使用逻辑回归分析，研究了居住环境中的潮湿或霉菌与自我报告的呼吸道疾病之间的粗比值比和调整后的比值比。参与调查的学生（n = 2097；回复率：8.1%）的结果显示，过敏性鼻炎的患病率很高（32.6%；95%置信区间：30.6 - 34.7）、哮喘样症状（24.0%；95%置信区间：22.1 - 25.8）和呼吸道感染（19.4%；95%置信区间：17.7 - 21.2）。调整后，接触居住环境中的潮湿或霉菌与过敏性鼻炎（比值比：1.25；95%置信区间：1.01 - 1.55）和哮喘样症状（比值比：1.70；95%置信区间：1.37 - 2.11）相关，但与呼吸道感染无关（比值比：1.07；95%置信区间：0.85 - 1.36）。在有症状的学生中，这种接触还与未得到控制的、令人负担沉重的呼吸道症状相关（P < 0.01）。大学生报告过敏性鼻炎、哮喘样症状和呼吸道感染的患病率很高。居住环境中的潮湿或霉菌这种常见的室内危害，可能在增加年轻人的特应性呼吸道疾病及其控制不佳方面起作用。这些结果强调了公共卫生组织解决住房条件差问题的重要性，特别是在应该被视为“高危”人群的大学生中。
