Journal Article Epublish
PubMed: 40197324 DOI: 10.1186/s12889-025-22470-4
Association of diurnal temperature range and childhood asthma: a population-based cross-sectional study in a Tropical City, China.
BMC Public Health 25(1):1302
Authors: Wangyang Gu, Yabin Hu, Qinpeng Li, Huike Feng, Yihao Xue, Linling Xu, Yang Chen, Yushi Zhou, Shilu Tong, Shijian Liu
Affiliations
- School of Public Health, Hainan Medical University, Haikou, China. Sanya Women and Children's Hospital Affiliated to Hainan Medical University, Sanya, China. Hainan Branch, Shanghai Children's Medical Center, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Sanya, China.
- Key Lab of Health Technology Assessment, National Health Commission of the People's Republic of China, Fudan University, Shanghai, China. Key Laboratory of Public Health Safety, Ministry of Education, School of Public Health, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.
- Sanya Women and Children's Hospital Affiliated to Hainan Medical University, Sanya, China. Hainan Branch, Shanghai Children's Medical Center, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Sanya, China. School of Basic Medicine and Life Science, Hainan Medical University, Haikou, China.
- Sanya Women and Children's Hospital Affiliated to Hainan Medical University, Sanya, China.
- Hainan Branch, Shanghai Children's Medical Center, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Sanya, China.
- School of Public Health, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China.
- Sanya Women and Children's Hospital Affiliated to Hainan Medical University, Sanya, China. Hainan Branch, Shanghai Children's Medical Center, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Sanya, China.
- School of Public Health and Social Work, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Australia.
- National Institute of Environmental Health, Chinese Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing, China.
- School of Public Health, Hainan Medical University, Haikou, China. Sanya Women and Children's Hospital Affiliated to Hainan Medical University, Sanya, China. Hainan Branch, Shanghai Children's Medical Center, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Sanya, China. School of Public Health, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China. School of Medicine, Shanghai Children's Medical Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, 1678 Dongfang Road, Shanghai, 200127, China.
Abstract
BACKGROUND
Climate change has significantly impacted the diurnal temperature range (DTR), particularly in tropical regions of China, where DTR fluctuations are more frequent. While previous studies have primarily focused on the link between short-term DTR exposure and childhood asthma, there is limited information on the long-term effects from large-scale studies.
METHODS
In 2022, a cross-sectional survey involving 9,130 children aged 2-10 years was conducted using stratified cluster random sampling in tropical Sanya, Hainan Province, China. Data on demographics, and asthma symptoms were collected using the validated International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC) questionnaire. Temperature, precipitation and Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) were obtained from remote sensing satellite. A generalized linear model (GLM) was employed to analyze the association between DTR exposure and asthma, and stratified analyses were conducted based on environmental and lifestyle factors.
RESULTS
The prevalence of childhood asthma was 7.57%, with the annual average DTR ranging from 5.15℃ to 7.26℃. After adjusting for potential confounders, each 1℃ increase in DTR was associated with a 65.9% higher risk of asthma (95% CI: 1.058, 2.602). Stratified analyses indicated that the impact of DTR on asthma risk was stronger among children living in areas with higher temperatures, higher precipitation, lower vegetation coverage (measured by NDVI), as well as those who were not breastfed, exposed to passive smoking, or whose mothers had pets during pregnancy.
CONCLUSIONS
In Sanya, increased annual DTR was significantly associated with a higher odds of childhood asthma, and this effect was influenced by environmental and lifestyle factors. Therefore, public health strategies could mitigate childhood asthma risk associated with DTR through urban greening, advocating for breastfeeding, reducing secondhand smoke, and avoiding pet ownership during pregnancy.
MeSH
Pregnancy, Cross-Sectional Studies, Life Style, Public Health, Breast Feeding, Asthma, Temperature, Child