Child care centre and home exposures among preschool children in Singapore and their associations with asthma, allergies and respiratory symptoms

Abstract

There are very few systematic studies on indoor air quality (IAQ) in homes and child care centers (CCCs) in the tropical climate, and how they affect preschool children's health. Ventilation strategies adopted by CCCs have created differences in IAQ parameters while CCCs temperatures, ventilation, cat owners and carpets were predictors for allergen levels. Children attending air-conditioned and moldy CCCs were associated with higher prevalence of respiratory symptoms. Home factors associated with increased risks of asthma and/or allergic symptoms include dampness, ETS and wall-papers. Traffic densities outside the homes were associated with higher risks of asthma and rhinitis symptoms. Children sleeping in non- air conditioned homes were found to have stronger associations between asthma and rhinitis symptoms with traffic densities compared to those sleeping in air conditioned homes. In conclusion, this thesis provides new information for the creation of healthy CCC and home indoor environments for preschool children in Singapore.