Lower Prevalence of Atopic Dermatitis and Allergic Sensitization among Children and Adolescents with a Two-Sided Migrant Background

Sinja Alexandra Ernst, Roma Schmitz, Michael Thamm and Ute Ellert
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Sinja Alexandra Ernst: Leibniz Institute for Prevention Research and Epidemiology—BIPS, Achterstraße 30, 28359 Bremen, Germany
Roma Schmitz: Robert Koch Institute, General-Pape-Str. 62-66, 12101 Berlin, Germany
Michael Thamm: Robert Koch Institute, General-Pape-Str. 62-66, 12101 Berlin, Germany
Ute Ellert: Robert Koch Institute, General-Pape-Str. 62-66, 12101 Berlin, Germany

IJERPH, 2016, vol. 13, issue 3, 1-11

Abstract: In industrialized countries atopic diseases have been reported to be less likely in children and adolescents with a migrant background compared to non-migrants. This paper aimed at both examining and comparing prevalence of asthma, allergic rhinoconjunctivitis and atopic dermatitis and allergic sensitization to specific IgE antibodies in children and adolescents with and without a migrant background. Using data of the population-based German Health Interview and Examination Survey for children and adolescents (KiGGS; n = 17,450; 0–17 years), lifetime and 12-month prevalence of atopic diseases and point prevalence of 20 common allergic sensitizations were investigated among migrants compared to non-migrants. Multiple regression models were used to estimate the association of atopic disease and allergic sensitization with migrant background. In multivariate analyses with substantial adjustment we found atopic dermatitis about one-third less often (OR 0.73, 0.57–0.93) in participants with a two-sided migrant background. Statistically significant associations between allergic sensitizations and a two-sided migrant background remained for birch (OR 0.73, 0.58–0.90), soybean (OR 0.72, 0.54–0.96), peanut (OR 0.69, 0.53–0.90), rice (OR 0.64, 0.48–0.87), potato (OR 0.64, 0.48–0.85), and horse dander (OR 0.58, 0.40–0.85). Environmental factors and living conditions might be responsible for the observed differences.

Keywords: allergies; atopic hypersensitivity; children; adolescents; transients and migrants; prevalence (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2016
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:13:y:2016:i:3:p:265-:d:64579

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