Prevalence of childhood asthma in Istanbul, Turkey.

In order to determine the asthma prevalence in 6-12-year-old schoolchildren in Istanbul, we issued 2350 questionnaires, according to ISAAC criteria, in six randomly selected city primary schools to be completed at home by parents. A total of 2232 of the questionnaires were completed, an overall response rate of 94.9%, and 2216 questionnaires were taken into consideration. The prevalence of asthma was found to be 9.8% and wheezing 15.1%. To investigate the effect of socioeconomic status on the prevalence of asthma, we evaluated the heating system at home, the place of residence, the educational levels of the mother and father, the number of people living in the house, the sharing of bedrooms, and the annual family income. In conclusion, the prevalence of childhood asthma was not affected by any of these factors. Atopic family history, food allergy, eczema, and frequent otitis media and sinusitis attacks were evaluated and found to be significant in asthma prevalence.