Five sites are involved in this project: Birni, in northern Benin, a very rural site; Allada, a rural site in southern Benin; So Ava lakeside village in southern Benin; Comé, semi-rural area in the south and Cotonou, urbanized area. A total of 3200 adolescents are included. For each of them, an ISAAC (International Study of Asthma and Allergy in Children) questionnaire was asked to identify children with wheezing and other signs suggestive of asthma. Apart from asthma the following data are available:
- socio-demographic and personal data;
- factors predisposing to atopy;
- exposure to indoor air pollution generated by burning biomass;
- exposure to outdoor air pollution related to road traffic.
Depending on the sites, data on helminthic infections (schistosomes and soil-transmitted helminths) are available, as well as genetic data (whole genome genotyping for some, genotyping of candidate genes in other cases).
The general objective of the study is to evaluate by means of an ISAAC questionnaire the prevalence of wheezing and its risk factors in children in Ghana. More specifically, it is planned to:
- Determine the presence of asthma defined as the existence of wheezing associated or not with difficulty speaking and/or sleeping, diagnosis of asthma made by a doctor in the last 12 months;
- Assess, by questionnaire, the child's exposure to ambient air pollution caused by the combustion of biomass;
- Look for an association between the child's exposure to ambient air pollution and asthma taking into account the modulating effect of helminthic infections;
- Establish the potential association between the existence of asthma and helminthic infections in children;
- Perform genetic association analysis between asthma and candidate gene polymorphisms.
Northern Partnership
Southern Partnership
- IRCB,
- FAST
Calendar
2020-2023
