Affiliations 

  • 1 Uppsala University, Department of Medical Science, Occupational and Environmental Medicine, University Hospital, 75185, Uppsala, Sweden. Electronic address: dan.norback@medsci.uu.se
  • 2 Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia, 43400, UPM, Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia
  • 3 Primary Care Unit, Johor State Health Department, 80100, Johor Bahru, Malaysia
  • 4 Faculty of Health Sciences, Universiti Selangor, 40000, Shah Alam, Malaysia; Department of Community Health, National University of Malaysia, 56000, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Environ Res, 2021 06;197:111061.
PMID: 33785322 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2021.111061

Abstract

Little is known on respiratory effects of indoor chemicals in the tropics. We investigated associations between asthma and respiratory infections in Malaysian students and chemical exposure at home and at school. Moreover, we investigated differences in home environment between the three main ethnic groups in Malaysia (Malay, Chinese, Indian). Totally, 462 students from 8 junior high schools in Johor Bahru participated (96% participation rate). The students answered a questionnaire on health and home environment. Climate, carbon dioxide (CO2), volatile organic compounds (VOC), formaldehyde and nitrogen dioxide (NO2) were measured inside and outside the schools. Multilevel logistic regression was applied to study associations between exposure and health. Totally 4.8% were smokers, 10.3% had wheeze, 9.3% current asthma, and had 18.8% any respiratory infection in the past 3 months. Malay students had more dampness or mould (p 

* Title and MeSH Headings from MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.

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