Prevalence and Risk Factors of Childhood Asthma in Jazan Region, Saudi Arabia

Background: The prevalence of asthma among children has been on the rise worldwide, leading to significant morbidity and mortality. Our study was conducted to determine the prevalence of asthma and its related risk factors among school-age children in the Jazan Region, Saudi Arabia.
Materials and Method: The study was a cross-sectional prospective study that used Phase I ISAAC protocol and was conducted from March to June 2023. The sample size was calculated to be 1600 among school-age children in the Jazan Region Saudi Arabia. This study complies with the Declaration of Helsinki. Data was analyzed using SPSS version 23.0, Descriptive statistics were calculated for study variables, and appropriate tests of significance were performed to determine statistical significance.
Results: The total study population was 1368 the majority of them, 96.6% (n=1321), were Saudi nationals, and most of them lived in rural areas (70.6%, n=966). The prevalence of life-long wheezing, wheezing in the last 12 months, and exercise-induced wheezing was 28.0%, 29.2%, and 30.9%, respectively. Risk factors such as having indoor plants, having a pet, and a smoker in the household were reported by 48.0%, 24.6%, and 36.4% of participants, respectively. Living near an industrial area was determined as a risk factor in 98 (7.2%) of the children. Asthma-related symptoms were strongly correlated with all risk factors based on the chi-square test, and some risk factors based on multivariate linear regression.
Conclusion: The prevalence of asthma among children in the Jazan Region is higher than previously reported, and the reported risk factors are significantly correlated with symptoms of asthma.