{"id":{"repo_id":"cape-town","oai_identifier":"oai:open.uct.ac.za:11427/42075"},"canonical_url":"https://search.dev.ndltd.org/etd/cape-town/oai:open.uct.ac.za:11427/42075","repository":{"repo_id":"cape-town","name":"University of Cape Town","base_url":"https://open.uct.ac.za/oai/request"},"display":{"title":"Environmental factors associated with atopic dermatitis in children in urban and rural South Africa","abstract":"Background: Environmental exposures related to modern urban living, and the absence of protective rural exposures, may contribute to the high prevalence of childhood atopic dermatitis (AD). Objectives: To identify environmental exposures associated with AD in children living in three residential areas of South Africa. Methods: A total of 3144 children aged 3 to 11 years participated in 1999 in a cross-sectional study involving a suburban area, peri-urban informal settlement, and several villages in a remote rural district in South Africa. Caregivers of children within a modified case control subset of 739 children, consisting of 253 cases and 486 controls, completed a researcher-led 57-point questionnaire on environmental exposures. Bivariate and multivariate logistic regression models were used to determine statistically significant associations between environmental exposures and AD. Results: A total of 387 children in the urban area, 59 in the peri-urban area and 293 in the rural district were included. Mean age of participants was 6.8 years, and 53.9% were female. Multivariate analysis found that current exposure to mould (aOR 2.79; 95% CI 1.58 – 5.00), pesticides (aOR 1.73; 95% CI 1.24 – 2.42), stress events (aOR 2.37; 95% CI 1.19 – 4.75) and home infestation with fleas (aOR 1.73; 95% CI 1.24 – 2.42) increased odds of AD in our study population, as did weaning after 4 months (aOR 1.83; 95% CI 1.31 – 2.56), compared to earlier weaning. Conclusion: Our findings underscore the need for targeted interventions addressing indoor environmental air quality, use of indoor pesticides, and the impact of psychological stressors on the development of AD.","abstract_html":"Background: Environmental exposures related to modern urban living, and the absence of protective rural exposures, may contribute to the high prevalence of childhood atopic dermatitis (AD). Objectives: To identify environmental exposures associated with AD in children living in three residential areas of South Africa. Methods: A total of 3144 children aged 3 to 11 years participated in 1999 in a cross-sectional study involving a suburban area, peri-urban informal settlement, and several villages in a remote rural district in South Africa. Caregivers of children within a modified case control subset of 739 children, consisting of 253 cases and 486 controls, completed a researcher-led 57-point questionnaire on environmental exposures. Bivariate and multivariate logistic regression models were used to determine statistically significant associations between environmental exposures and AD. Results: A total of 387 children in the urban area, 59 in the peri-urban area and 293 in the rural district were included. Mean age of participants was 6.8 years, and 53.9% were female. Multivariate analysis found that current exposure to mould (aOR 2.79; 95% CI 1.58 – 5.00), pesticides (aOR 1.73; 95% CI 1.24 – 2.42), stress events (aOR 2.37; 95% CI 1.19 – 4.75) and home infestation with fleas (aOR 1.73; 95% CI 1.24 – 2.42) increased odds of AD in our study population, as did weaning after 4 months (aOR 1.83; 95% CI 1.31 – 2.56), compared to earlier weaning. Conclusion: Our findings underscore the need for targeted interventions addressing indoor environmental air quality, use of indoor pesticides, and the impact of psychological stressors on the development of AD.","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Dewar, Janine"],"institution":"Department of Public Health and Family Medicine","degree_name":null,"degree_level":null,"degree_discipline":null,"degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":[],"advisors":["London, Leslie","Todd, Gail"],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2025,"date_issued":"2025","date_published":"2025","updated_at":"2026-07-22T22:22:49Z","subjects":["Rural","Urban","Children","South Africa"],"languages":["en"],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"http://hdl.handle.net/11427/42075","outbound_label":"Handle","outbound_source":"dc:identifier.uri"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor.advisor","label":"Advisor","values":["London, Leslie","Todd, Gail"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Dewar, Janine"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.accessioned","label":"Dc Date Accessioned","values":["2025-10-31T11:33:35Z"]},{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2025-10-31T11:33:35Z"]},{"key":"dc:date.issued","label":"Date","values":["2025"]},{"key":"dc:publisher.department","label":"Dc Publisher Department","values":["Department of Public Health and Family Medicine"]},{"key":"dc:publisher.institution","label":"Dc Publisher Institution","values":["University of Cape Town"]},{"key":"dc:type","label":"Dc Type","values":["Thesis / Dissertation"]},{"key":"dc:type.qualificationlevel","label":"Dc Type Qualificationlevel","values":["Masters","MPH"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Rural","Urban","Children","South Africa"]}]},{"id":"language_rights","label":"Language and Rights","entries":[{"key":"dc:language.iso","label":"Language (ISO)","values":["en"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier.uri","label":"Identifier URI","values":["http://hdl.handle.net/11427/42075"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["Background: Environmental exposures related to modern urban living, and the absence of protective rural exposures, may contribute to the high prevalence of childhood atopic dermatitis (AD). Objectives: To identify environmental exposures associated with AD in children living in three residential areas of South Africa. Methods: A total of 3144 children aged 3 to 11 years participated in 1999 in a cross-sectional study involving a suburban area, peri-urban informal settlement, and several villages in a remote rural district in South Africa. Caregivers of children within a modified case control subset of 739 children, consisting of 253 cases and 486 controls, completed a researcher-led 57-point questionnaire on environmental exposures. Bivariate and multivariate logistic regression models were used to determine statistically significant associations between environmental exposures and AD. Results: A total of 387 children in the urban area, 59 in the peri-urban area and 293 in the rural district were included. Mean age of participants was 6.8 years, and 53.9% were female. Multivariate analysis found that current exposure to mould (aOR 2.79; 95% CI 1.58 – 5.00), pesticides (aOR 1.73; 95% CI 1.24 – 2.42), stress events (aOR 2.37; 95% CI 1.19 – 4.75) and home infestation with fleas (aOR 1.73; 95% CI 1.24 – 2.42) increased odds of AD in our study population, as did weaning after 4 months (aOR 1.83; 95% CI 1.31 – 2.56), compared to earlier weaning. Conclusion: Our findings underscore the need for targeted interventions addressing indoor environmental air quality, use of indoor pesticides, and the impact of psychological stressors on the development of AD."]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Environmental factors associated with atopic dermatitis in children in urban and rural South Africa"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor.advisor":["London, Leslie","Todd, Gail"],"dc:creator":["Dewar, Janine"],"dc:date.accessioned":["2025-10-31T11:33:35Z"],"dc:date.available":["2025-10-31T11:33:35Z"],"dc:date.issued":["2025"],"dc:description.abstract":["Background: Environmental exposures related to modern urban living, and the absence of protective rural exposures, may contribute to the high prevalence of childhood atopic dermatitis (AD). Objectives: To identify environmental exposures associated with AD in children living in three residential areas of South Africa. Methods: A total of 3144 children aged 3 to 11 years participated in 1999 in a cross-sectional study involving a suburban area, peri-urban informal settlement, and several villages in a remote rural district in South Africa. Caregivers of children within a modified case control subset of 739 children, consisting of 253 cases and 486 controls, completed a researcher-led 57-point questionnaire on environmental exposures. Bivariate and multivariate logistic regression models were used to determine statistically significant associations between environmental exposures and AD. Results: A total of 387 children in the urban area, 59 in the peri-urban area and 293 in the rural district were included. Mean age of participants was 6.8 years, and 53.9% were female. Multivariate analysis found that current exposure to mould (aOR 2.79; 95% CI 1.58 – 5.00), pesticides (aOR 1.73; 95% CI 1.24 – 2.42), stress events (aOR 2.37; 95% CI 1.19 – 4.75) and home infestation with fleas (aOR 1.73; 95% CI 1.24 – 2.42) increased odds of AD in our study population, as did weaning after 4 months (aOR 1.83; 95% CI 1.31 – 2.56), compared to earlier weaning. Conclusion: Our findings underscore the need for targeted interventions addressing indoor environmental air quality, use of indoor pesticides, and the impact of psychological stressors on the development of AD."],"dc:identifier.uri":["http://hdl.handle.net/11427/42075"],"dc:language.iso":["en"],"dc:publisher.department":["Department of Public Health and Family Medicine"],"dc:publisher.institution":["University of Cape Town"],"dc:subject":["Rural","Urban","Children","South Africa"],"dc:title":["Environmental factors associated with atopic dermatitis in children in urban and rural South Africa"],"dc:type":["Thesis / Dissertation"],"dc:type.qualificationlevel":["Masters","MPH"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-22T22:22:49Z"}