RESUMO
BACKGROUND: The prevalence of rhinitis has been reported to be higher in urban areas. OBJECTIVE: To determine the prevalence of rhinitis in schoolchildren who lived on two islands in the Brazilian Amazon, including a rural island and an urban island, and to identify the associated risk factors. METHODS: Four hundred children (200 per island) were evaluated by using the International Study of Asthma and Allergy in Childhood standard written questionnaire (rhinitis module). A convenience sample for both islands was selected based on the age group of the study (5-8 years). The children were assessed for potential risk factors (complementary written questionnaire) identified by logistic regression. RESULTS: The prevalence of active rhinitis was significantly higher in the children who lived on Outeiro Island compared with Combú Island (34.5% versus 18.0%, respectively). The associated risk factors for rhinitis symptoms on Combú Island included parental history of rhinitis (odds ratio [OR] 9.4 [95% confidence interval {CI}, 2.1-41.4]) and delivery by caesarean-section (OR 5.2 [95% CI, 1.2-21.9]), and for Outeiro Island included parental history of rhinitis (OR 4.5 [95% CI, 1.7-11.2]) and of asthma (OR 3.8 [95% CI, 1.5-9.8]), nocturnal cough in the previous year (OR 5.8 [95% CI, 2.1-16.0]), breast-feeding (≥6 months) (OR 9.6 [95% CI, 1.1-82.1]), moisture (OR 2.4 [95% CI, 0.9-6.4]), and consumption of fruit juice more than two times a week (OR 4.3 [95% CI, 1.2-15.0]). CONCLUSION: The different risk factors identified for rhinitis on each island indicated the role of the urban environment in the development of the disease.
