Published online July 3, 2006
PEDIATRICS Vol. 118 No. 1 July 2006, pp. e66-e75 (doi:10.1542/peds.2005-2812)

This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me when eLetters are posted Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services E-mail this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to My File Cabinet Download to citation manager Request Permissions Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via CrossRef Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Mirabelli, M. C. Articles by Wilcosky, T. C. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Mirabelli, M. C. Articles by Wilcosky, T. C. Related Collections Asthma Social Bookmarking                         What's this?

Asthma Symptoms Among Adolescents Who Attend Public Schools That Are Located Near Confined Swine Feeding Operations

Maria C. Mirabelli, PhD^a, Steve Wing, PhD^a, Stephen W. Marshall, PhD^a,b,c, Timothy C. Wilcosky, PhD^a,d

^a Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health
^b University of North Carolina Injury Prevention Research Center
^c Department of Orthopedics, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
^d Environmental Health and Epidemiology Program, RTI International, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina

OBJECTIVES. Little is known about the health effects of living in close proximity to industrial swine operations. We assessed the relationship between estimated exposure to airborne effluent from confined swine feeding operations and asthma symptoms among adolescents who were aged 12 to 14 years.

METHODS. During the 1999–2000 school year, 58169 adolescents in North Carolina answered questions about their respiratory symptoms, allergies, medications, socioeconomic status, and household environments. To estimate the extent to which these students may have been exposed during the school day to air pollution from confined swine feeding operations, we used publicly available data about schools (n = 265) and swine operations (n = 2343) to generate estimates of exposure for each public school. Prevalence ratios and 95% confidence intervals for wheezing within the past year were estimated using random-intercepts binary regression models, adjusting for potential confounders, including age, race, socioeconomic status, smoking, school exposures, and household exposures.

RESULTS. The prevalence of wheezing during the past year was slightly higher at schools that were estimated to be exposed to airborne effluent from confined swine feeding operations. For students who reported allergies, the prevalence of wheezing within the past year was 5% higher at schools that were located within 3 miles of an operation relative to those beyond 3 miles and 24% higher at schools in which livestock odor was noticeable indoors twice per month or more relative to those with no odor.

CONCLUSIONS. Estimated exposure to airborne pollution from confined swine feeding operations is associated with adolescents’ wheezing symptoms.

---

Key Words: asthma • environmental health • epidemiology • school age children • school health

Abbreviations: CAFO—confined animal feeding operation • PR—prevalence ratio • NCSAS—North Carolina School Asthma Survey • SSLW—steady-state live weight • CI—confidence interval

---

Accepted Jan 6, 2006.

CiteULike    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Facebook    Reddit    Technorati    Twitter    What's this?

This article has been cited by other articles:

				R. A. Horton, S. Wing, S. W. Marshall, and K. A. Brownley Malodor as a Trigger of Stress and Negative Mood in Neighbors of Industrial Hog Operations Am J Public Health, November 1, 2009; 99(S3): S610 - S615. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]