Prevalence of Asthma and Sleep-Related Breathing Disorder in School-Going Children

OBJECTIVE: The main objective of the study was to determine the prevalence of asthma and sleep-related breathing disorder (SRBD) in school-going children. METHODS: This school-based, cross-sectional study was conducted among children of age groups of 6–7 and 13–14 years from 31 public and private schools in rural and urban areas of Jodhpur. A pretested and validated questionnaire in Hindi for childhood asthma, International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood questionnaire and 22-item pediatric SRBD scale were used to collect data. RESULTS: A total of 2245 children were screened for asthma and SRBD. The overall prevalence of asthma and SRBD in school children in Jodhpur was 8.0% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 6.9%–9.2%) and 9.5% (95% CI: 8.4–10.8), respectively. Asthma was found to be significantly associated with SRBD in school-going children in Jodhpur (odds ratio: 4.8; 95% CI: 3.3–6.8) on multiple logistic regression analysis. CONCLUSION: There is a significantly high prevalence of asthma and SRBD with a good association between them in school-going children.