Ecosystem Change and Population Health (ECAPH) research group, School of Public Health and Social Work, Queensland University of Technology, Australia.
Centre for Data Science, Queensland University of Technology, Australia; School of Public Health and Social Work, Queensland University of Technology, Australia.
Sci Total Environ. 2024 Nov 15;951:175863. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.175863. Epub 2024 Aug 28.
Asthma is a prevalent chronic respiratory disease among children, influenced by various climate and environmental factors. Despite its prevalence, the specific effects of these factors on asthma remain unclear. This study aims to systematically assess the epidemiological evidence using spatial and temporal methods on the impact of climate and environmental factors on childhood asthma.
A systematic review was conducted to analyse the impact of climate and environmental factors on childhood asthma and wheezing, focusing on spatial and temporal trends. Searches were carried out in PubMed, Embase, and CINAHL databases for studies published from January 2000 to April 2024, using key search terms 'asthma/wheezing', 'extreme weather, 'green space', 'air pollution' and 'spatial or temporal analyses".
The systematic review analysed 28 studies, with six employing spatial and 22 using temporal analysis methods; however, none incorporated spatio-temporal analysis in their models. The findings reveal that extreme weather events, including heatwaves and heavy rainfall, elevate childhood asthma risks across various climates, with significant effects observed during summer and winter months. Dust storms in arid and subtropical regions are linked to immediate spikes in hospital admissions due to asthma exacerbations. The effects of green spaces on childhood asthma are mixed, with some studies indicating protective effects while others suggest increased risks, influenced by local environmental factors. Air pollutants such as PM, NO, and ozone can exacerbate asthma symptoms and along with other environmental factors, contribute to seasonal effects. High temperatures generally correlate with increased asthma risks, though the effects vary by age, sex, and climate.
Future research should integrate spatial and temporal methods to better understand the effects of environmental and climate changes on childhood asthma.
哮喘是儿童中一种普遍存在的慢性呼吸道疾病，受多种气候和环境因素的影响。尽管其发病率较高，但这些因素对哮喘的具体影响尚不清楚。本研究旨在使用空间和时间方法系统评估气候和环境因素对儿童哮喘的流行病学证据。
系统综述分析了气候和环境因素对儿童哮喘和喘息的影响，重点关注空间和时间趋势。在 PubMed、Embase 和 CINAHL 数据库中，使用“哮喘/喘息”、“极端天气”、“绿地”、“空气污染”和“空间或时间分析”等关键搜索词，对 2000 年 1 月至 2024 年 4 月发表的研究进行了搜索。
系统综述分析了 28 项研究，其中 6 项采用空间分析方法，22 项采用时间分析方法；然而，没有一项研究在其模型中纳入了时空分析。研究结果表明，极端天气事件，包括热浪和强降雨，会增加不同气候下儿童哮喘的风险，在夏季和冬季月份观察到显著影响。干旱和亚热带地区的沙尘暴会导致哮喘恶化的住院人数立即增加。绿地对儿童哮喘的影响是混合的，一些研究表明有保护作用，而另一些研究则表明存在风险，这受到当地环境因素的影响。空气污染物，如 PM、NO 和臭氧，会加重哮喘症状，并与其他环境因素一起导致季节性影响。一般来说，高温与哮喘风险增加有关，但影响因年龄、性别和气候而异。
未来的研究应整合空间和时间方法，以更好地了解环境和气候变化对儿童哮喘的影响。
