Abstract
There has been a rise in the prevalence of atopic dermatitis (AD) globally with Nigeria, a developing country not exempted. This has led to physical, social, and economic complications for the affected children, their families, and the nation. Although a strong genetic predisposition has been linked to AD, there is a limited study on the risk factors Nigerian children are exposed to predispose them to develop atopic dermatitis. This study, therefore, determined the prevalence of AD in Southwestern Nigeria and identified risk factors in home and school environments that children aged 6 to 14 years are exposed to. It also determined the association between these environmental risk factors and AD.
A cross-sectional study was adopted, and the total sample size for the study was 349. Four health facilities were used for the research study. Twelve private health facilities in Alimosho local government were approached. These facilities were randomly given a number from one to twelve. The list was drawn and every third facility on the list was chosen. A practising physician gave information about the study to the caregiver of any child aged 6 to 14 diagnosed with AD and other dermatological conditions. The physician also identified those with atopic dermatitis who gave their consent by giving them a paper as ‘A’ and those who were managed for other dermatological conditions other than atopic dermatitis as ‘B’. They approached us for participation in the study after being referred by their physician. A questionnaire was administered as the method of data collection from caregivers. Data analysis was carried out using the latest version of Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS). Frequency distributions, chi-square, binary and multivariate logistic regression models were used to explore the relationship between atopic dermatitis among children aged 6 to 14 years in Alimosho Local Government, Lagos Nigeria.
There were 349 children enrolled to participate in the study. The prevalence of atopic dermatitis in this study is 25%. Atopic dermatitis was found to be commoner in females (27%) compared to males (22%). Children who lived where trucks pass on the street almost every day had the highest cases of atopic dermatitis (28%). Children who have rugs in their houses and those whose houses are surrounded by bushes also had a higher number of cases of atopic dermatitis at 26% and 26% respectively. Children who ate meat, vegetables, butter, and egg more than 6 times in a week have the highest cases at 29%, 26%, 25% and 28% respectively. Children who played on school grass,
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attended creche with rubber toys, and attended school where wooden chairs, and chalkboard were used a had higher number of AD cases at 26%, 26%, and 28%, 27% respectively. Mother’s monthly income [AOR=3.66, 95%CI (1.67, 7.80)] was associated with AD. This study identified risk factors in home and school environments that predispose children to AD. It is envisaged that the study will aid to reduce the incidence of AD in Nigeria and serve as a basis for possible research on evidence-based treatment options.