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Swimming pool attendance, respiratory symptoms and infections in the first year of life

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Abstract

We evaluated the relationship between indoor and outdoor swimming pool attendance and respiratory symptoms and infections during the first year of life. A population-based mother–child cohort study was conducted in four Spanish areas (INMA project). Study subjects were recruited at pregnancy, followed to delivery and 14 months after birth. Information on swimming pool attendance and health manifestations during the first year of life was collected at 14 months: low respiratory tract infection (LRTI), persistent cough, wheezing, atopic eczema and otitis. Odds ratios and 95 % confidence interval (OR 95 %CI) were calculated by logistic regression adjusting for confounders. Among the 2,205 babies included, 37 % reported having LRTI, 37 % wheezing, 16 % persistent cough, 22 % atopic eczema, 33 % otitis and 50 % attended swimming pools during the first year of life. Around 40 % went to outdoor pools in summer with a median cumulative duration of 7.5 h/year, and 20 % attended indoor pools with a median cumulative duration of 18 h/year. Pool attendance differed by area, season of birth and sociodemographic characteristics, and was not associated with LRTI, wheezing, persistent cough, atopic eczema or otitis. Adjusted OR of wheezing and LRTI were, respectively, 1.06 (95 %CI, 0.88–1.28) and 1.09 (0.90–1.31) for babies attending vs. babies not attending pools. Stratification by type of swimming pool, cumulative duration or parental atopy did not modify the results. Conclusion: No association was detected between pool attendance and LRTI, wheezing, persistent cough, atopic eczema or otitis during the first year of life in Spain.

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Acknowledgments

The authors would particularly like to thank all the participants for their generous collaboration. A full roster of the INMA Project Investigators can be found at http://www.proyectoinma.org/presentacion-inma/listado-investigadores/en_listado-investigadores.html. This study was funded by grants from Instituto de Salud Carlos III (FIS PI11/00226, Red INMA G03/176, CB06/02/0041, FIS-FEDER 03/1615, 04/1509, 04/1112, 04/1931, 05/1079, 05/1052, 06/1213, 07/0314, 09/02647, FIS-PI041436, FIS-FEDER PI080533, FIS-PI06/0867, FIS-PI081151, FISS09-PS09/02311), CIBER (AA08_012), Generalitat de Catalunya-CIRIT (1999SGR 00241), EU sixth framework project NEWGENERIS FP6-2003-Food-3-A-016320, Department of Health of the Basque Government (2005111093 and 2009111069), the Provincial Government of Gipuzkoa (DFG06/004 and DFG08/001), Kutxa–Caja Gipuzkoa San Sebastián, City Councils of Zumarraga, Urretxu, Legazpi, Azpeitia, Beasain and Azkoitia in Gipuzkoa, Conselleria de Sanitat Generalitat Valenciana, FISS-PI042018, FISS-PI09/02311, Obra Social CAJASTUR, Universidad de Oviedo, Fundació Roger Torné and HI-WATE project (FP6-2005-FOOD-4B, Reg. No. 036224).

Conflict of interest

All authors declare no conflict of interest.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. CREAL—Centre for Research in Environmental Epidemiology, Barcelona Biomedical Research Park, Dr. Aiguader, 88, 08003, Barcelona, Spain

    Laia Font-Ribera, Cristina M. Villanueva, Nadia Espejo-Herrera & Jordi Sunyer

  2. CIBER Epidemiología y Salud Pública (CIBERESP), Barcelona, Spain

    Laia Font-Ribera, Cristina M. Villanueva, Ferran Ballester, Loreto Santa Marina, Adonina Tardón, Nadia Espejo-Herrera, Ana Esplugues, Mikel Basterrechea & Jordi Sunyer

  3. IMIM (Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute), Barcelona, Spain

    Cristina M. Villanueva & Jordi Sunyer

  4. University of Valencia, Valencia, Spain

    Ferran Ballester & Ana Esplugues

  5. Center for Public Health Research (CSISP), Valencia, Spain

    Ferran Ballester & Ana Esplugues

  6. Public Health Division of Gipuzkoa. Basque Government, Gipuzkoa, Spain

    Loreto Santa Marina & Mikel Basterrechea

  7. Health Research Institute Biodonostia, San Sebastián, Spain

    Loreto Santa Marina & Mikel Basterrechea

  8. Universidad de Oviedo, Oviedo, Spain

    Adonina Tardón

  9. Hospital San Agustín, Avilés, Spain

    Cristina Rodríguez Dehli

  10. University Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain

    Jordi Sunyer

Authors
  1. Laia Font-Ribera
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  2. Cristina M. Villanueva
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  3. Ferran Ballester
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  4. Loreto Santa Marina
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  5. Adonina Tardón
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  6. Nadia Espejo-Herrera
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  7. Ana Esplugues
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  8. Cristina Rodríguez Dehli
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  9. Mikel Basterrechea
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  10. Jordi Sunyer
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Cristina M. Villanueva.

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Font-Ribera, L., Villanueva, C.M., Ballester, F. et al. Swimming pool attendance, respiratory symptoms and infections in the first year of life. Eur J Pediatr 172, 977–985 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00431-013-1975-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00431-013-1975-x

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