Social Inequalities: Do They Matter in Asthma, Bronchitis, and Respiratory Symptoms in Children?

Background: Social inequalities (e.g., poverty and low level of education) generate inequalities in health. Aim: The aim of the study was to determine the relationships between indicators of social inequalities and the frequency of respiratory symptoms, asthma, and bronchitis in children. Material and Methods: In 2019, an epidemiological cross-sectional study on 3237 students from elementary schools in Silesia Voivodships (South Poland) was conducted. The students’ parents completed a questionnaire based on the International Study on Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC). Social inequalities in the children’s families were determined according to parents’ education and professional status (working vs. unemployed), self-assessment of economic status, and housing conditions. To determine the influence of social factors on the occurrence of asthma, bronchitis, and respiratory symptoms, the odds ratio (OR) was calculated. Results: Children living in apartments with traces of mold had a higher risk of developing asthma (OR = 1.5, 95%CI: 1.17–1.96; p = 0.002) or bronchitis (OR = 1.4, 95%CI: 1.13–1.72; p = 0.002), wheezing attacks at nights (OR = 1.4; 95%CI: 1.01–1.93), wheezy in the last 12 months (OR = 1.6; 95%CI:1.24–2.08; p < 0.001), and chronic cough (OR = 1.9; 95%CI: 1.49–2.46; p < 0.001). Exposure to environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) was associated with higher risk of cough (OR = 1.5 95%CI: 1.22–1.96; p < 0.001) and dyspnea in the last 12 months (OR = 1.4; 95%CI: 1.04–2.00; p = 0.02). Low socioeconomic status (SES) was associated with increased risk of chronic cough (OR = 1.5; 95%CI: 1.09–2.03; p = 0.009) and increased risk of wheezy in the last 12 months (OR = 1.4; 95%CI: 1.06–1.97; p = 0.008). Asthma and bronchitis were not dependent on parents’ education or professional status. Conclusions: Social inequalities have significant impacts on the occurrence of respiratory symptoms, bronchitis, and asthma in children. Interventions aimed at preventing bronchitis and childhood asthma should also focus on social health determinants.