Prevalence of asthma, rhinitis and eczema symptoms and its determinants in children aged 6-7 years, Santiago island, Cape Verde

Background and Objective:
Asthma, rhinitis, and eczema are major global health problems in childhood, with widely variable prevalence in Africa. Few studies in Cape Verde are available to inform the development of strategies for primary prevention and clinical management of allergic diseases in children. The aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence of asthma and other allergic diseases symptoms and associated factors, in 6–7 years old schoolchildren on Santiago Island, Cape Verde.

Methods:
A cross-sectional study was conducted between April and September 2022, in 6-7 years old children enrolled in 43 randomly selected schools on Santiago Island and their mothers/caregivers were interviewed using International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood-ISAAC questionnaire. We estimated the prevalence of asthma, rhinitis and eczema symptoms and respective 95%CI; we used multivariable logistic regression to identify factors associated with allergic diseases.

Results:
The prevalence of lifetime asthma symptoms for the 1045 children was estimated at 24.1%; the current prevalence estimates were 10.5% for asthma, 20.0% for rhinitis and 7.0% for eczema. All allergic symptoms are more prevalent in boys. Among children with current asthma, 59% also had rhinitis and 13.6% eczema. In multivariable analysis, urban area residence emerged as a risk factor for rhinitis and eczema. Being exposed to antibiotics during the first year of life was a risk factor for current asthma and rhinitis, while early-life exposure to cats appeared to protect from asthma.

Conclusion:
We identified asthma, rhinitis, and eczema as public health problems in Santiago Island. Higher prevalence was observed in boys and in Praia city. The estimated prevalence of asthma symptoms is consistent with other African countries data. The pinpointed determinants factors must be considered when designing strategies and health policies aimed at improving children´s healthcare.