Grant: New Investigator Salary Award - PA: Respiratory Health (SHOPP)

The purpose of this study is to investigate the prevalence and severity of asthma among children in a north-central Saskatchewan region. The indoor environment, including tobacco smoke and home mold, has been suspected to play a role in asthma development but the contribution of obesity and health behaviours has been studied less frequently. Two understudied populations with regard to asthma are rural dwellers and Aboriginal persons. Obesity, health behaviours, and environmental exposures in these groups have been shown to differ from urban populations and may help explain recent geographic and temporal variation in asthma prevalence. Finally, it is becoming apparent that there are differences in the association between various exposures and asthma by sex. We aim to determine if there are differences in these outcomes by area of residence (urban vs. rural) and by Aboriginal ancestry. We will also investigate associations between determinants of asthma including obesity, health behaviours (eg. physical activity, diet and sedentary behaviours), and the indoor environment with asthma presence and severity. Finally, we will investigate potential effect modification by area of residence, Aboriginal ancestry, and sex with these determinants. We will use a cross-sectional study of Grades 1-6 children attending school in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan that includes a questionnaire phase and a clinical phase (lung function testing, anthropometric measures, and skin prick testing). Investigation of asthma prevalence and severity and their determinants among these populations will help establish the level of disease burden, which has not yet been studied in this region, identify groups at higher risk of asthma, and will aid in addressing gaps in asthma etiology. This knowledge can help focus initiatives to prevent asthma and reduce asthma morbidity, resulting in better quality of life for children with asthma and lower health care costs in Saskatchewan and, more broadly, Canada.