IJE Advance Access published online on March 2, 2006
International Journal of Epidemiology, doi:10.1093/ije/dyl022
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
1 Swiss Paediatric Respiratory Research Group, Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, University of Berne, Switzerland; The Leicester Children's Asthma Centre, Division of Child Health, Department of Infection, Immunity & Inflammation, University of Leicester, Leicester, LE2 7LX, UK
* To whom correspondence should be addressed. Background Many studies showing effects of traffic-related air pollution on health rely on self-reported exposure, which may be inaccurate. We estimated the association between self-reported exposure to road traffic and respiratory symptoms in preschool children, and investigated whether the effect could have been caused by reporting bias. Methods In a random sample of 8700 preschool children in Leicestershire, UK, exposure to road traffic and respiratory symptoms were assessed by a postal questionnaire (response rate 80%). The association between traffic exposure and respiratory outcomes was assessed using unconditional logistic regression and conditional regression models (matching by postcode). Results Prevalence odds ratios (95% confidence intervals) for self-reported road traffic exposure, comparing the categories ‘moderate’ and ‘dense’, respectively, with ‘little or no’ were for current wheezing: 1.26 (1.13-1.42) and 1.30 (1.09-1.55); chronic rhinitis: 1.18 (1.05-1.31) and 1.31 (1.11-1.56); night cough: 1.17 (1.04-1.32) and 1.36 (1.14-1.62); and bronchodilator use: 1.20 (1.04-1.38) and 1.18 (0.95-1.46). Matched analysis only comparing symptomatic and asymptomatic children living at the same postcode (thus exposed to similar road traffic) showed similar ORs, suggesting that parents of children with respiratory symptoms reported more road traffic than parents of asymptomatic children. Conclusions Our study suggests that reporting bias could explain some or even all the association between reported exposure to road traffic and disease. Over-reporting of exposure by only 10% of parents of symptomatic children would be sufficient to produce the effect sizes shown in this study. Future research should be based only on objective measurements of traffic exposure.
Accepted January 30, 2006
Original paper
Association between reported exposure to road traffic and respiratory symptoms in children: evidence of bias
Claudia E. Kuehni 1 *,
Marie-Pierre F. Strippoli 2,
Marcel Zwahlen 2,
and
Michael Silverman 3
2 Swiss Paediatric Respiratory Research Group, Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, University of Berne, Switzerland
3 The Leicester Children's Asthma Centre, Division of Child Health, Department of Infection, Immunity & Inflammation, University of Leicester, Leicester, LE2 7LX, UK
Claudia E. Kuehni, E-mail: kuehni{at}ispm.unibe.ch
Abstract 
CiteULike 
Connotea 
Del.icio.us What's this?
This article has been cited by other articles:
|
|
 |
|
  B. D. Spycher, M. Silverman, M. Egger, M. Zwahlen, and C. E. Kuehni Routine Vaccination Against Pertussis and the Risk of Childhood Asthma: A Population-Based Cohort Study Pediatrics, March 1, 2009; 123(3): 944 - 950. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 G Cesaroni, C Badaloni, D Porta, F Forastiere, and C A Perucci Comparison between various indices of exposure to traffic-related air pollution and their impact on respiratory health in adults Occup. Environ. Med., October 1, 2008; 65(10): 683 - 690. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 I. N. Krivoshto, J. R. Richards, T. E. Albertson, and R. W. Derlet The Toxicity of Diesel Exhaust: Implications for Primary Care J Am Board Fam Med, January 1, 2008; 21(1): 55 - 62. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 C. E Kuehni, A. M Brooke, M.-P. F Strippoli, B. D Spycher, A. Davis, and M. Silverman Cohort Profile: The Leicester Respiratory Cohorts Int. J. Epidemiol., October 2, 2007; (2007) dym090v1. [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
V Morgenstern, A Zutavern, J Cyrys, I Brockow, U Gehring, S Koletzko, C P Bauer, D Reinhardt, H-E Wichmann, and J Heinrich Respiratory health and individual estimated exposure to traffic-related air pollutants in a cohort of young children Occup. Environ. Med., January 1, 2007; 64(1): 8 - 16. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 G. Michel, M. Silverman, M-P. F. Strippoli, M. Zwahlen, A. M. Brooke, J. Grigg, and C. E. Kuehni Parental understanding of wheeze and its impact on asthma prevalence estimates Eur. Respir. J., December 1, 2006; 28(6): 1124 - 1130. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|