Residential crowding and asthma in preschool children, a cross-sectional study

Background: Asthma is the most common chronic disease in children, and associations with crowding have been reported. The aim of this study was to explore possible associations of crowding with asthma in children. Methods: Seven cross-sectional surveys with preschool children were conducted within the framework of the health monitoring units in Bavaria, Germany, from 2004 to 2014. Residential crowding was defined as habitation of more than one person per room or less than 20m2 living space per person. Logistic regression models examined temporal changes in crowding, applying the first survey as reference. The relationship between crowding and physician-diagnosed asthma, asthma defined by the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC) and asthma symptoms were analyzed. Results: Analyzing temporal changes of crowding rates did not reveal any differences over the years. However, the stratified descriptive analysis indicated a crowding increase in time in urban households where parents had a low education level (47.9% in 2004/05, 55.8% in 2014/15). No association was found between crowding and the variables "physician-diagnosed asthma" in 2014/15, "asthma defined by ISAAC" in 2014/15, or "wheezing" in 2014/15. A positive association with cough was identified in 2014/15 after adjusting for confounders (aOR = 1.42 [95% CI: 1.20-1.69]). Conclusions: In general, residential crowding did not change from 2004 to 2014; however, there seems to be a small upsurge for children with low-educated parents, living in urban areas over the years. A statistically significant association between crowding and cough was only found in the survey from 2014/15

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Yoga in the workplace and health outcomes: a systematic review.

BACKGROUND: Health promotion in the workplace is intended to enhance employee health and well-being. Yoga programmes are easy to implement and have been effective in the management of various health conditions. AIMS: To assess the evidence regarding the effectiveness of yoga programmes at work. METHODS: A search of electronic databases of published studies up until the 1st of April 2017. Inclusion criteria for the systematic review were randomized controlled trials of adult employees and yoga in the workplace. Quality appraisal was carried out using the Cochrane Collaboration's tool for assessing risk of bias in randomized trials. RESULTS: Of 1343 papers identified, 13 studies met the inclusion criteria. Nine out of 13 trials were classified as having an unclear risk of bias. The overall effects of yoga on mental health outcomes were beneficial, mainly on stress. Most of the cardiovascular endpoints showed no differences between yoga and controls. Other outcomes reported positive effects of yoga or no change. CONCLUSIONS: The findings of this study suggest that yoga has a positive effect on health in the workplace, particularly in reducing stress, and no negative effects were reported in any of the randomized controlled trials. Further larger studies are required to confirm this.

Residential crowding and asthma in preschool children, a cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Asthma is the most common chronic disease in children, and associations with crowding have been reported. The aim of this study was to explore possible associations of crowding with asthma in children. METHODS: Seven cross-sectional surveys with preschool children were conducted within the framework of the health monitoring units in Bavaria, Germany, from 2004 to 2014. Residential crowding was defined as habitation of more than one person per room or less than 20m2 living space per person. Logistic regression models examined temporal changes in crowding, applying the first survey as reference. The relationship between crowding and physician-diagnosed asthma, asthma defined by the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC) and asthma symptoms were analyzed. RESULTS: Analyzing temporal changes of crowding rates did not reveal any differences over the years. However, the stratified descriptive analysis indicated a crowding increase in time in urban households where parents had a low education level (47.9% in 2004/05, 55.8% in 2014/15). No association was found between crowding and the variables "physician-diagnosed asthma" in 2014/15, "asthma defined by ISAAC" in 2014/15, or "wheezing" in 2014/15. A positive association with cough was identified in 2014/15 after adjusting for confounders (aOR=1.42 [95% CI: 1.20-1.69]). CONCLUSIONS: In general, residential crowding did not change from 2004 to 2014; however, there seems to be a small upsurge for children with low-educated parents, living in urban areas over the years. A statistically significant association between crowding and cough was only found in the survey from 2014/15.