Prevalence and Determinants of Eczema Among Elementary School Children, Southeast of Iran, 2019

Genetic and environmental factors are known to be related to the development of childhood Eczema. We aimed to assess the ecological factors associated with the prevalence of Eczema among children using the ISAAC questionnaire.

A total of 1600 primary school girls and boys were selected and examined by multistage random sampling in this cross-sectional study. Data were collected and completed using the International ISAAC Questionnaire, including demographic questions and risk factors through interviews with parents, especially the student’s mother. The data were analyzed in SPSS v. 19 software using the Chi-square test and multiple logistic regression.

This study was approved by the Ethics Committee of Zahedan University of Medical Sciences (Code: REC.1397.481).

 The prevalence of current Eczema was 10.4% (95%CI: 8.9-11.9). Co-morbidity with Asthma and Rhinitis was 82.8% and 74.5%, respectively. In multiple logistic regression models, history of allergies in family members (OR: 2.35, 95%CI: 1.53-3.59), father snoring (OR: 3.00, CI95%: 1.98-4.55), Keeping any animal in (OR: 1.6, 95%CI: 1.002-2.58), family size (OR: 0.85, 95%CI: 0.68-0.95), exposure to tobacco smoke at home (OR: 2.84, 95%CI: 1.18-6.81), showed a significant relationship with the occurrence of students’ Eczema.

 Exposure to tobacco smoke at home, keeping any animal at home are effective factors in the prevalence of Eczema in children. By eliminating these factors, the prevalence of this disease can be reduced. However, the mothers have the most crucial role in screening and early diagnosis of Eczema in school children regarding determinants in this study. According to the results of this study, it is suggested that parents’ education, especially mothers, be emphasized by paying attention to these favorable factors.