This thesis investigated the epidemiology of atopy in Kenyan children. Analysis was based on data gathered on 599 rural and 567 urban children, as part of a research program on childhood asthma focussing on the impact of urbanization. Atopy was more frequent in urban than rural children (22.9% vs 14.7%). The unadjusted odds ratio for urban rural differences in atopy was 1.75, 95% CI 1.30 to 2.36. Urban children were also younger, taller, weighed more and were breastfed for shorter periods compared to rural children. They were also more likely to have a family history of allergic disease but were less likely to share their bed, use allergenic mattresses and live in homes with pets and smokers. / When the urban rural differences were adjusted for these differences in the distribution of personal, environmental and socio economic characteristics, the odds ratio fell to 0.81 and became nonsignificant (95% CI 0.50 to 1.33). Therefore, the urban rural difference in the prevalence of atopy in Kenyan children appear to be due to the differences in the distribution of the relevant risk factors.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:LACETR/oai:collectionscanada.gc.ca:QMM.27381 |
| Date | January 1997 |
| Creators | Mungai, Mary. |
| Contributors | Becklake, M. R. (advisor) |
| Publisher | McGill University |
| Source Sets | Library and Archives Canada ETDs Repository / Centre d'archives des thèses électroniques de Bibliothèque et Archives Canada |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Coverage | Master of Science (Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics.) |
| Rights | All items in eScholarship@McGill are protected by copyright with all rights reserved unless otherwise indicated. |
| Relation | alephsysno: 001565319, proquestno: MQ29756, Theses scanned by UMI/ProQuest. |
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