PMID- 17661928
OWN - NLM
STAT- MEDLINE
DCOM- 20071128
LR  - 20130520
IS  - 0905-6947 (Print)
IS  - 0905-6947 (Linking)
VI  - 17
IP  - 4
DP  - 2007 Aug
TI  - The effect of ventilation strategies of child care centers on indoor air quality 
      and respiratory health of children in Singapore.
PG  - 317-27
AB  - This paper reports the effects of ventilation strategies on indoor air quality 
      (IAQ) and respiratory health of children within 104 child care centers (CCCs) in 
      a hot and humid climate. The CCCs were categorized by ventilation strategies: 
      natural (NV), air-conditioned and mechanically ventilated (ACMV), air-conditioned 
      using split units (AC), and hybrid (NV and AC operated intermittently). The 
      concentration levels of IAQ parameters in NV CCCs are characterized by the 
      influence of the outdoors and good dilution of indoor pollutants. The lower 
      ventilation rates in air-conditioned CCCs result in higher concentrations of 
      occupant-related pollutants but lower outdoor pollutant ingress. This study also 
      revealed lower prevalence for most asthma and allergy, and respiratory symptoms 
      in children attending NV CCCs. In multivariate analyses controlled for the 
      effects of confounders, the risk of current rhinitis among children is 
      significantly higher if they attend mechanically ventilated CCCs compared to NV 
      CCCs. Air-conditioned CCCs were also associated with higher adjusted prevalence 
      ratio of severe phlegm and cough symptoms and lower respiratory illness. Finally, 
      children attending CCCs with hybrid ventilation are at high risk for almost all 
      the respiratory symptoms studied. PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS: This large field study 
      indicates that different ventilation strategies employed by child care centers 
      can cause significant variations in the indoor air quality and prevalence of 
      asthma, allergies and respiratory symptoms of attending children. The higher 
      prevalence rates of allergic and respiratory symptoms among young children, whose 
      immune system is still under-developed, in child care centers, whether fully or 
      partially air-conditioned, suggest that ventilation and plausible growth and 
      propagation mechanisms of allergens and infectious agents be further 
      investigated.
FAU - Zuraimi, M S
AU  - Zuraimi MS
AD  - Department of Building, School of Design and Environment, National University of 
      Singapore, Singapore. bdgzms@nus.edu.sg
FAU - Tham, K W
AU  - Tham KW
FAU - Chew, F T
AU  - Chew FT
FAU - Ooi, P L
AU  - Ooi PL
LA  - eng
PT  - Journal Article
PT  - Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
PL  - England
TA  - Indoor Air
JT  - Indoor air
JID - 9423515
RN  - 0 (Allergens)
SB  - IM
MH  - Air Conditioning
MH  - Air Pollution, Indoor/adverse effects/*prevention & control
MH  - Allergens/isolation & purification
MH  - Child
MH  - *Child Day Care Centers
MH  - Child, Preschool
MH  - Communicable Disease Control/methods
MH  - *Environmental Health
MH  - Humans
MH  - Infant
MH  - Respiratory Tract Diseases/epidemiology/etiology/*prevention & control
MH  - Risk Assessment
MH  - Singapore
MH  - Ventilation/*methods
EDAT- 2007/07/31 09:00
MHDA- 2007/12/06 09:00
CRDT- 2007/07/31 09:00
PHST- 2007/07/31 09:00 [pubmed]
PHST- 2007/12/06 09:00 [medline]
PHST- 2007/07/31 09:00 [entrez]
AID - INA480 [pii]
AID - 10.1111/j.1600-0668.2007.00480.x [doi]
PST - ppublish
SO  - Indoor Air. 2007 Aug;17(4):317-27. doi: 10.1111/j.1600-0668.2007.00480.x.