Prevalence and risk factors of asthma, allergic rhinitis, and atopic dermatitis among schoolchildren in Sri Lanka.

As the prevalence of asthma, allergic rhinitis (AR), and atopic dermatitis (AD) rises globally, it is important to determine the prevalence of these diseases in different geographic regions to identify potential modifiable risk factors. We sought to determine the prevalence of asthma, AR, and AD in Sri Lankan children living in different climatic and geographical regions and to identify host and environmental risk factors. We recruited 5043 children (51.9% girls) age 10 to 19 years from 9 districts representing Sri Lanka using stratified multistage cluster sampling. Data were collected using the International Society for Allergies and Asthma in Childhood questionnaire for children. Statistical significance was estimated using Fisher exact and χ2 tests for association. Prevalence of asthma, AR, and AD was 8.25%, 10.01%, and 2.8%, respectively. Children living in urban areas and children with higher body mass index were significantly more likely to have asthma. Children living in households that used cow dung for floors and clay/wattle and daub for walls were less likely to have asthma and AR, but not AD. The prevalence of asthma was higher in children living in houses with tiled floors (P = .03) and in which gas was used for cooking (P < .05), whereas prevalence of AR was significantly higher in households with domestic animals. The presence of other allergic diseases, BMI, and urbanicity together with certain environmental conditions was associated with the prevalence of these diseases. Therefore, environmental modification as well as lifestyle interventions may help to reduce the prevalence of these allergic diseases.