Influence of farm environment on asthma during the life course: A population-based birth cohort study in northern Finland
Kantomaa, Marko T.; Tolvanen, Mimmi; Halonen, Miia; Svanes, Cecilie; Järvelin, Marjo-Riitta; Sebert, Sylvain
Journal article, Peer reviewed
Published version
Åpne
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https://hdl.handle.net/11250/3123063Utgivelsesdato
2023Metadata
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Originalversjon
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (IJERPH). 2023, 20 (3), 2128. 10.3390/ijerph20032128Sammendrag
We investigated the influence of a farming environment on asthma at three time points from birth to 46 years using the Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1966 (n = 10,926). The prevalence of asthma was investigated by postal questionnaires at 14, 31 and 46 years of age. Exposure to a farming environment was assessed by a postal questionnaire at birth and at 31 and 46 years of age. Odds ratios (ORs) and their 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) for the prevalence of asthma were obtained from multinomial logistic regression, stratified by sex. Being born in a farmer family was potentially causally associated with lower risk of asthma in males at 31 years of age (OR 0.56, 95% CI 0.37, 0.85) and in females at 46 years of age (OR 0.64, 95% CI 0.44, 0.95). Working as a farmer was not associated with asthma. Exposure to a farming environment in childhood may have a lifelong impact on developing asthma from birth through young adulthood and until middle age, indicating that ‘immune deviation’ may persist throughout life.