Determinants of longitudinal health-related quality of life change in children with asthma from low-income families: a report from the PROMIS(®) Pediatric Asthma Study.

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Determinants of longitudinal health-related quality of life change in children with asthma from low-income families: a report from the PROMIS(®) Pediatric Asthma Study.

Clin Exp Allergy. 2016 Sep 24;

Authors: Li Z, Leite W, Thompson L, Gross HE, Shenkman E, Reeve BB, DeWalt DA, Huang IC

Abstract
BACKGROUND: How the longitudinal asthma control status and other socio-demographic factors influence the changes of health-related quality of life (HRQOL) among asthmatic children, especially from low-income families, has not been fully investigated.
OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to describe the trajectories of asthma-specific HRQOL over 15 months, and examine the effect of asthma control status on HRQOL by taking socio-demographic factors into consideration.
METHODS: 229 dyads of asthmatic children and their parents enrolled in public insurance programs were recruited for assessing asthma control status and HRQOL over 4 time points of assessment. Asthma control status was measured using the Asthma Control and Communication Instrument and asthma-specific HRQOL was assessed using the Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System’s Pediatric Asthma Impact Scale. Latent growth models (LGMs) were applied to examine the trajectory of HRQOL and the factors contributing to the changes of HRQOL.
RESULTS: Unconditional LGM revealed that HRQOL was improved over time. Conditional LGM suggested that accounting for asthma control and participants’ socio-demographic factors, the variation in the initial level of HRQOL was significant, yet the rate of change was not. Conditional LGM also revealed that poorly-controlled asthma status was associated with poor HRQOL at each time point (p’s<0.05). Lower parental education was associated with lower baseline HRQOL (p<0.05). Hispanic children had a larger increase in HRQOL over time (p<0.01) than non-Hispanic White children.
CONCLUSIONS: Vulnerable socio-demographic characteristics and poorly controlled asthma status affect HRQOL in children. This finding encourages interventions to improve asthma control status and HRQOL in minority children. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

PMID: 27664979 [PubMed – as supplied by publisher]

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Data quality from a longitudinal study of adolescent health at schools near industrial livestock facilities.

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Data quality from a longitudinal study of adolescent health at schools near industrial livestock facilities.

Ann Epidemiol. 2015 Mar 18;

Authors: Guidry VT, Gray CL, Lowman A, Hall D, Wing S

Abstract
PURPOSE: Longitudinal designs enable examination of temporal relationships between exposures and health outcomes, but extended participation can cause study fatigue. We present an approach for analyzing data quality and study fatigue in a participatory, longitudinal study of adolescents.
METHODS: Participants (n = 340) in the Rural Air Pollutants and Children’s Health study completed daily diaries for 3 to 5 weeks in 2009 while we monitored outdoor pollutant concentrations. We used regression models to examine established associations between disease, symptoms, anthropometrics, and lung function as indicators of internal consistency and external validity. We modeled temporal trends in data completeness, lung function, environmental odors, and symptoms to assess study fatigue.
RESULTS: Of 5728 records, 94.2% were complete. Asthma and allergy status were associated with asthma-related symptoms at baseline and during follow-up, for example, prevalence ratio = 8.77 (95% confidence interval: 4.33-17.80) for awakening with wheeze among diagnosed asthmatics versus nonasthmatics. Sex, height, and age predicted mean lung function. Plots depicting outcome reporting over time and associated linear trends showed time-dependent declines for most outcomes.
CONCLUSIONS: We achieved data completeness, internal consistency, and external validity, yet still observed study fatigue, despite efforts to maintain participant engagement. Future investigators should model time trends in reporting to monitor longitudinal data quality.

PMID: 25935712 [PubMed – as supplied by publisher]

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Chronic disease prevalence in women and air pollution – A 30-year longitudinal cohort study.

Chronic disease prevalence in women and air pollution – A 30-year longitudinal cohort study.

Environ Int. 2015 Apr 6;80:26-32

Authors: To T, Zhu J, Villeneuve PJ, Simatovic J, Feldman L, Gao C, Williams D, Chen H, Weichenthal S, Wall C, Miller AB

Abstract
BACKGROUND: Air pollution, such as fine particulate matter (PM2.5), can increase risk of adverse health events among people with heart disease, diabetes, asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) by aggravating these conditions. Identifying the influence of PM2.5 on prevalence of these conditions may help target interventions to reduce disease morbidity among high-risk populations.
OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study is to measure the association of exposure of PM2.5 with prevalence risk of various chronic diseases among a longitudinal cohort of women.
METHODS: Women from Ontario who enrolled in the Canadian National Breast Screening Study (CNBSS) from 1980 to 1985 (n=29,549) were linked to provincial health administrative data from April 1, 1992 to March 31, 2013 to determine the prevalence of major chronic disease and conditions (heart disease, diabetes, asthma, COPD, acute myocardial infarction, angina, stroke and cancers). Exposure to PM2.5 was measured using satellite data collected from January 1, 1998 to December 31, 2006 and assigned to resident postal-code at time of entry into study. Poisson regression models were used to describe the relationship between exposure to ambient PM2.5 and chronic disease prevalence. Prevalence rate ratios (PRs) were estimated while adjusting for potential confounders: baseline age, smoking, BMI, marital status, education and occupation. Separate models were run for each chronic disease and condition.
RESULTS: Congestive heart failure (PR=1.31, 95% CI: 1.13, 1.51), diabetes (PR=1.28, 95% CI: 1.16, 1.41), ischemic heart disease (PR=1.22, 95% CI: 1.14, 1.30), and stroke (PR=1.21, 95% CI: 1.09, 1.35) showed over a 20% increase in PRs per 10?g/m(3) increase in PM2.5 after adjusting for risk factors. Risks were elevated in smokers and those with BMI greater than 30.
CONCLUSIONS: This study estimated significant elevated prevalent rate ratios per unit increase in PM2.5 in nine of the ten chronic diseases studied.

PMID: 25863281 [PubMed – as supplied by publisher]

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Nocturnal gastroesophageal reflux, asthma and symptoms of obstructive sleep apnoea: a longitudinal, general population study.

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Nocturnal gastroesophageal reflux, asthma and symptoms of obstructive sleep apnoea: a longitudinal, general population study.

Eur Respir J. 2012 Sep 27;

Authors: Emilsson OI, Bengtsson A, Franklin KA, Torén K, Benediktsdóttir B, Farkhooy A, Weyler J, Dom S, Backer WD, Gislason T, Janson C

Abstract
Nocturnal gastroesophageal reflux (nGER) is associated with asthma and obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA). Our aim was to investigate whether nGER is a risk factor for onset of asthma and onset of respiratory and OSA symptoms in a prospective population based study.We invited 2640 subjects from Iceland, Sweden and Belgium for two evaluations over a nine years interval. They participated in structured interviews, answered questionnaires, underwent spirometries and methacholine challenge testing. nGER was defined by reported symptoms.Subjects with persistent nGER (n=123) had an independent increased risk of new asthma at follow-up [OR (95% CI): 2.3 (1.1-4.9)]. Persistent nGER was independently related to onset of respiratory symptoms [OR (95% CI): 3.0 (1.6-5.6)]. The risk of developing symptoms of OSA was increased in subjects with new and persistent nGER [OR (95% CI): 2.2 (1.3-1.6) and 2.0 (1.0-3.7), respectively]. No significant association was found between nGER and lung function or bronchial responsiveness.Persistent symptoms of nocturnal gastroesophageal reflux contributes to the development of asthma and respiratory symptoms. New onset of OSA symptoms is higher among subjects with symptoms of nGER. These findings support that nGER may play a role in the genesis of respiratory symptoms and diseases.

PMID: 23018910 [PubMed – as supplied by publisher]

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