Do Green Environments Impact Children's Health?

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EAACI

15 Oct, 2015, 09:00 GMT

BERLIN, October 15, 2015 /PRNewswire/ --

1 out of every 3 children has an allergy, a number that is expected to increase over the next ten years[1-3] .

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A study[4] on more than 13,000 German, Swedish, Dutch, Australian and Canadian children found that living in greener areas seems to protect against AR in some areas but may be detrimental in others. "We need to better understand how people are interacting with their green environments, what types of vegetation may be most important, both in terms of number and diversity, and whether the effect of the green environment on AR depends on the timing of exposures," highlights Dr. Elaine Fuertes, Institute of Epidemiology I, Helmholtz Zentrum München, German Research Centre for Environmental Health, Neuherberg.

The LEAP study[5] shows that in high-risk children early introduction of peanuts decreases the risk of developing a peanut allergy by 70-80%. "If the benefit is maintained after stopping consumption of peanut is addressed by the LEAP-On study," explains Gideon Lack, Professor of Pediatric Allergy, King's College London. Another question is whether this strategy also works in low risk groups[6].

Teenagers often find it difficult to manage their asthma. Forgetting to take medication, smoking, and social stigma are challenges they face[7]. "We found that if facilitators and barriers are targeted through a self-efficacy model of self-management teenagers can become empowered to self-manage asthma," says Graham Roberts, Professor and Honorary Consultant Pediatrician in Pediatric Allergy and Respiratory Medicine, University of Southampton.

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  1. Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Guidelines. European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology (EAACI), 2014.
  2. Advocacy Manifesto. Tackling the Allergy Crisis in Europe-Concerted Policy Action Needed. European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology (EAACI), December 2014.
  3. Global Atlas of Allergy. European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology (EAACI), 2014
  4. Markevych I. Associations between residential greenness and childhood allergic rhinitis and aeroallergen sensitization in seven birth cohorts. Oral Abstract Session #4, PAAM 2015
  5. Du Toit G et al. Randomized trial of peanut consumption in infants at risk for peanut allergy. N Engl J Med. 2015;372(9):803-13
  6. Fleischer DM et al. Consensus communication on early peanut introduction and the prevention of peanut allergy in high-risk infants. Allergy. 2015t;70(10):1193-5
  7. Holley S. A qualitative study to understand how we can empower teenagers to better self-manage their asthma. Poster Discussion Session #2, PAAM 2015