European Journal of Epidemiology
Volume 34, Issue 6, 2019, Pages 601-609

Asthma and selective migration from farming environments in a three-generation cohort study (Article)

Timm S.* , Frydenberg M. , Abramson M.J. , Bertelsen R.J. , Bråbäck L. , Benediktsdottir B. , Gislason T. , Holm M. , Janson C. , Jogi R. , Johannessen A. , Kim J.-L. , Malinovschi A. , Mishra G. , Moratalla J. , Sigsgaard T. , Svanes C. , Schlünssen V.
  • a Department of Public Health, Danish Ramazzini Centre, Aarhus University, Bartholins Alle 2, Building 1260, Aarhus C, 8000, Denmark
  • b Department of Public Health, Danish Ramazzini Centre, Aarhus University, Bartholins Alle 2, Building 1260, Aarhus C, 8000, Denmark
  • c School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia
  • d Institute of Clinical Science, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
  • e Section of Sustainable Health, Department of Public Health and Clinical Medicine, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden
  • f Medical Faculty, University of Iceland, Reykjavík, Iceland, Primary Health Care Center, Gardabaer, Iceland
  • g Medical Faculty, University of Iceland, Reykjavík, Iceland, Department of Sleep, Landspitali University Hospital, Reykjavík, Iceland
  • h Section of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Gothenburg, Sweden
  • i Department of Medical Sciences: Respiratory, Allergy and Sleep Research, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
  • j Department of Pulmonology (ARKS), University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia
  • k Department of Global Public Health and Primary Care, Centre for International Health, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway, Department of Occupational Medicine, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway
  • l Section of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, The Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
  • m Department of Medical Sciences, Clinical Physiology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
  • n School of Public Health, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4006, Australia
  • o Department of Internal Medicine, Albacete University Hospital, Albacete, Spain
  • p Department of Public Health, Danish Ramazzini Centre, Aarhus University, Bartholins Alle 2, Building 1260, Aarhus C, 8000, Denmark
  • q Department of Global Public Health and Primary Care, Centre for International Health, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway, Department of Occupational Medicine, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway
  • r Department of Public Health, Danish Ramazzini Centre, Aarhus University, Bartholins Alle 2, Building 1260, Aarhus C, 8000, Denmark, National Research Centre for The Working Environment, Copenhagen, Denmark

Abstract

Individuals raised on a farm appear to have less asthma than individual raised elsewhere. However, selective migration might contribute to this as may also the suggested protection from farm environment. This study investigated if parents with asthma are less likely to raise their children on a farm. This study involved three generations: 6045 participants in ECRHS/RHINE cohorts (born 1945–1973, denoted G1), their 10,121 parents (denoted G0) and their 8260 offspring participating in RHINESSA (born 1963–1998, denoted G2). G2-offspring provided information on parents not participating in ECRHS/RHINE. Asthma status and place of upbringing for all three generations were reported in questionnaires by G1 in 2010–2012 and by G2 in 2013–2016. Binary regressions with farm upbringing as outcome were performed to explore associations between parental asthma and offspring farm upbringing in G0–G1 and G1–G2. Having at least one parent with asthma was not associated with offspring farm upbringing, either in G1–G2 (RR 1.11, 95% CI 0.81–1.52) or in G0–G1 (RR 0.99, 0.85–1.15). G1 parents with asthma born in a city tended to move and raise their G2 offspring on a farm (RR 2.00, 1.12–3.55), while G1 parents with asthma born on a farm were less likely to raise their G2 offspring on a farm (RR 0.34, 0.11–1.06). This pattern was not observed in analyses of G0–G1. This study suggests that the protective effect from farm upbringing on subsequent asthma development could not be explained by selective migration. Intriguingly, asthmatic parents appeared to change environment when having children. © 2019, Springer Nature B.V.

Author Keywords

Farming RHINE Selective migration ECRHS RHINESSA Asthma

Index Keywords

progeny regression analysis Europe agricultural worker human middle aged Cohort Studies Aged Health Surveys Young Adult Humans Adolescent parent male asthma preschool child female Child, Preschool questionnaire Article major clinical study adult migration cohort analysis Transients and Migrants disease association agricultural land Farms Child health survey
Link
https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85061192239&doi=10.1007%2fs10654-019-00491-9&partnerID=40&md5=9026ac17642c12b0710523b4ff8e1c9e
DOI: 10.1007/s10654-019-00491-9
ISSN: 03932990
Original Language: English