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. 2025 Apr 16;8(4):e70678.
doi: 10.1002/hsr2.70678. eCollection 2025 Apr.

Prevalence of Asthma, Allergic Rhinitis, and Eczema in Schoolchildren From Huambo, Angola: A Cross-Sectional Study

Elias José Gonçalves  1 , Crícia do Espírito Santo Nunda  2 , Cruz Dos Santos Sebastião  3   4   5   6 , Margarete Lopes Teixeira Arrais  3   7
Affiliations

Prevalence of Asthma, Allergic Rhinitis, and Eczema in Schoolchildren From Huambo, Angola: A Cross-Sectional Study

Elias José Gonçalves et al. Health Sci Rep. .

Abstract

Background and aims: Asthma is the most common chronic non-communicable disease in children with a higher prevalence in high-income countries, however, the majority of asthma-related deaths occur in low- and middle-income countries, including Angola. Therefore, we aimed to investigate the prevalence of asthma and allergic diseases among schoolchildren in Huambo, Angola's fourth most populous province.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out in April and May 2022 among schoolchildren aged 6-14 using the ISAAC methodology. The questionnaire included questions on asthma, allergic rhinitis, and eczema symptoms, as well as environmental exposure and risk factors. Twenty schools were randomly selected. χ 2 tests and univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses examined associations between categorical variables. A p-value of < 0.05 was considered significant.

Results: The final sample included 1807 schoolchildren, all of whom lived in an urban area, 52.2% were girls, with a mean age of 11.9 ± 2.92 years, and 21.3% of whose parents were illiterate. Current asthma, allergic rhinitis, and eczema prevalence were 7.7%, 23.7%, and 15.8%, respectively, and none of the schoolchildren with asthma were regularly followed up by a physician or were medicated for asthma. The mother's educational level was positively associated with asthma (p = 0.022) and eczema (p = 0.042) prevalence, while having allergic rhinitis was positively associated with older schoolchildren (p < 0.001). Concerning the risk factors studied, schoolchildren with allergic rhinitis [AOR: 3.88 (95%CI 2.67-5.64); p < 0.001] and eczema [AOR: 2.99 (95%CI 2.02-4.41); p < 0.001] had a significant risk of having asthma.

Conclusion: Our findings indicate a significant burden of asthma, allergic rhinitis, and eczema among the schoolchildren studied, underscoring the need to address this critical public health issue.

Keywords: allergic diseases; angolan schoolchildren; asthma; prevalence.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

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