Urbanization and the risk of asthma among schoolchildren in the Palestinian authority

The aim of the present survey was to compare the prevalence of symptoms sug gestive of asthma in boys and girls aged 6-7 and 13-14 years in a rural and an urban area in the West Bank. For this purpose, the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC) questionnaire was issued to 97 0 schoolchildren in the two regions. The response rate was 92.2%. The preva lences of ever wheezing in the urban and rural areas were 16.4% and 12.0%, respectively (p < 0.05); the 12-month prevalences of wheezing were 10.5% an d 5.5%, respectively (p < 0.05); the prevalences of more severe wheeze were 4.5% and 1.7%, respectively (p < 0.05); and prevalences of diagnosed asthm a were 4.2% and 2.8%, respectively (p = NS). When controlling for age by st ratification, the significant association between prevalence rates and plac e of residence persisted in the 13-14-year age group. These results also sh ow that the prevalence of asthma among Palestinian children is moderately h igh in comparison with that reported from developing countries, but lower t han those reported from Western countries. This survey, the first epidemiol ogical survey on asthma in the West Bank , demonstrates a marked difference between urban and rural areas. The findings emphasize the need for further study of the environmental determinants of the disease among Palestinian c hildren.