Investigation of Asthma and Allergy Risk and Affecting Factors in School-Age Children (7-14 Years)

Zeynep Yağmur Ertürk, Sibel Tunç Karaman, Okcan Basat

Keywords: Asthma , Allergy , Children, Screening

Background:
Although the incidence of asthma and allergic diseases is high (approximately 15%) in school-age, many children may not be diagnosed yet. Undetected chronic conditions can lead to symptom development and loss of school days and social activities over time.

Research questions:
The aim of this study is to investigate the risk of asthma and allergy in school-age children and the factors associated with it. High-risk children are planned to be referred for further evaluation.

Method:
This prospective study was planned in a single-centered, descriptive, and relationship-seeking design. The universe of the research will consist of school-age children between the ages of 7-14 who are educated in primary and secondary schools in Gaziosmanpaşa, Istanbul. The sample will consist of at least 210 students and who are declared to be willing to be included in the study by their parents from the schools selected according to their socioeconomic level. Children between the ages of 7 and 14 who are literate, whose parents agree to participate in the study, who have the ability to understand and answer the questions asked, will be included in the study. Those who are under the age of 7 and over the age of 14, those whose parents and/or those have a condition that may prevent communication (such as hearing and speech impairment) and those who are illiterate will be excluded from the study. In order to obtain the data, a patient information form questioning the sociodemographic characteristics and general health status of children and their parents, and A School-Based Asthma and Allergy Screening Questionnaire which includes questions to be filled in by parents and children, will be used. While evaluating the findings in the study, IBM SPSS Statistics 22 program will be used for statistical analysis. Significance will be evaluated at the p<0.05 level.

Results:

Conclusions:

Points for discussion: