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Association between environmental exposure to pesticides and prevalence of asthma symptoms in rural children and adolescents living in agricultural settings in the Western Cape
Background: There is conflicting evidence on the association between pesticide exposure and child asthma related outcomes in agricultural settings and limited data in developing country settings. Objectives: This study investigated the association between children's exposure to pesticides and asthma...
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| Format: | Thesis |
| Language: | English English |
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Department of Public Health and Family Medicine
2025
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| _version_ | 1867611329758494720 |
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| access_status_str | Open Access |
| author | Tshilengu, Eunice Muya |
| author2 | Dalvie, Mohamed Aqiel |
| author_browse | Dalvie, Mohamed Aqiel Tshilengu, Eunice Muya |
| author_facet | Dalvie, Mohamed Aqiel Tshilengu, Eunice Muya |
| author_sort | Tshilengu, Eunice Muya |
| collection | Thesis |
| description | Background: There is conflicting evidence on the association between pesticide exposure and child asthma related outcomes in agricultural settings and limited data in developing country settings. Objectives: This study investigated the association between children's exposure to pesticides and asthma related outcomes in rural agricultural areas in Western Cape South Africa. Methods: A cross-sectional study of 700 children from three intensive agricultural areas in the rural Western Cape in June-September 2017. Guardian reported asthma outcomes and demographic information using an abbreviated version of the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood questionnaire and self-reported pesticide exposures of children was obtained. Results: The median age of children was 11 years. The prevalence of more than two reported asthma symptoms (current wheeze, wheeze attack, wheeze disturbing sleep, wheeze limiting speech and wheeze during exercise) was 8.5% across the sample. There were no statistically significant positive associations found between any of the three asthma related outcomes (including asthma symptoms score ≥ 2, parental reported asthma and current wheeze) and pesticide exposure variables. These included general pesticide exposure, farm activities, leisure activities and household pesticide exposure when adjusting for relevant confounders using multiple logistic regression analysis. Conclusion: This cross-sectional study did not find evidence of an association between self reported asthma related outcomes and pesticide exposure among rural children of the Western Cape. Longitudinal studies investigating the association using robust exposure and outcome measures are recommended. |
| format | Thesis |
| id | oai:open.uct.ac.za:11427/41381 |
| institution | University of Cape Town (South Africa) |
| language | English eng |
| license_str | Not specified — see source repository |
| provenance_str_mv | Harvested via OAI-PMH from UCTD — University of Cape Town Open Access Repository |
| publishDate | 2025 |
| publishDateRange | 2025 |
| publishDateSort | 2025 |
| publisher | Department of Public Health and Family Medicine |
| publisherStr | Department of Public Health and Family Medicine |
| record_format | dspace |
| source_str | UCTD — University of Cape Town Open Access Repository |
| spelling | oai:open.uct.ac.za:11427/41381 Association between environmental exposure to pesticides and prevalence of asthma symptoms in rural children and adolescents living in agricultural settings in the Western Cape Tshilengu, Eunice Muya Dalvie, Mohamed Aqiel Toyib, Olaniyan Jeebhay, Mohamed family medicine Background: There is conflicting evidence on the association between pesticide exposure and child asthma related outcomes in agricultural settings and limited data in developing country settings. Objectives: This study investigated the association between children's exposure to pesticides and asthma related outcomes in rural agricultural areas in Western Cape South Africa. Methods: A cross-sectional study of 700 children from three intensive agricultural areas in the rural Western Cape in June-September 2017. Guardian reported asthma outcomes and demographic information using an abbreviated version of the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood questionnaire and self-reported pesticide exposures of children was obtained. Results: The median age of children was 11 years. The prevalence of more than two reported asthma symptoms (current wheeze, wheeze attack, wheeze disturbing sleep, wheeze limiting speech and wheeze during exercise) was 8.5% across the sample. There were no statistically significant positive associations found between any of the three asthma related outcomes (including asthma symptoms score ≥ 2, parental reported asthma and current wheeze) and pesticide exposure variables. These included general pesticide exposure, farm activities, leisure activities and household pesticide exposure when adjusting for relevant confounders using multiple logistic regression analysis. Conclusion: This cross-sectional study did not find evidence of an association between self reported asthma related outcomes and pesticide exposure among rural children of the Western Cape. Longitudinal studies investigating the association using robust exposure and outcome measures are recommended. 2025-04-10T09:52:55Z 2025-04-10T09:52:55Z 2024 2025-04-09T12:46:02Z Thesis / Dissertation Masters MPH http://hdl.handle.net/11427/41381 en eng application/pdf Department of Public Health and Family Medicine Faculty of Health Sciences University of Cape Town |
| spellingShingle | family medicine Tshilengu, Eunice Muya Association between environmental exposure to pesticides and prevalence of asthma symptoms in rural children and adolescents living in agricultural settings in the Western Cape |
| thesis_degree_str | Master's |
| title | Association between environmental exposure to pesticides and prevalence of asthma symptoms in rural children and adolescents living in agricultural settings in the Western Cape |
| title_full | Association between environmental exposure to pesticides and prevalence of asthma symptoms in rural children and adolescents living in agricultural settings in the Western Cape |
| title_fullStr | Association between environmental exposure to pesticides and prevalence of asthma symptoms in rural children and adolescents living in agricultural settings in the Western Cape |
| title_full_unstemmed | Association between environmental exposure to pesticides and prevalence of asthma symptoms in rural children and adolescents living in agricultural settings in the Western Cape |
| title_short | Association between environmental exposure to pesticides and prevalence of asthma symptoms in rural children and adolescents living in agricultural settings in the Western Cape |
| title_sort | association between environmental exposure to pesticides and prevalence of asthma symptoms in rural children and adolescents living in agricultural settings in the western cape |
| topic | family medicine |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/11427/41381 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT tshilengueunicemuya associationbetweenenvironmentalexposuretopesticidesandprevalenceofasthmasymptomsinruralchildrenandadolescentslivinginagriculturalsettingsinthewesterncape |