Association between green areas and allergic disease in Korean adults: a cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND: Although many epidemiological studies have reported the inverse associations between greenness and health outcomes, inconsistent associations in allergic diseases remain an issue. We aimed to identify associations between greenness and allergic diseases among Korean adults. METHODS: In total, 219,298 adults from the 2009 Korea Community Health Survey were included in this study. Individuals' allergy-related conditions, such as atopic dermatitis and allergic rhinitis, were evaluated. To identify the amount of green areas (m(2)) per capita in each administrative region, we used the 2009 data for green areas from the Korean Statistical Information Service. RESULTS: The risk for atopic dermatitis in the highest quartile of green areas was significantly lower compared with that of the lowest quartile. Physician's diagnosis and current treatment of odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were 0.82 (0.73–0.91) and 0.77 (0.64–0.92), respectively. Similarly, the association results for allergic rhinitis showed that the highest level of green areas was significantly associated with a decreased risk of allergic rhinitis in full-adjustment model quartiles. Physician's diagnosis and current treatment of OR (95% CI) were 0.94 (0.89–0.99) and 0.91 (0.82–1.00), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: We observed inverse associations of green areas with atopic dermatitis and allergic rhinitis in Korean adults.