Green neighbourhood good for city kids with asthma

Washington D.C. [USA], Sep 09 (ANI): Parents, please take note! If your kid is suffering from asthma, you may want to move to a green neighbourhood, suggests a recent study.

The results suggested that living closer to a park can benefit children with asthma, especially older children who are more likely to go to the park on their own.

The study looked at inner-city children with persistent asthma and compared the number of days they suffered with symptoms over a period of two weeks with the distance from their homes to the nearest park.

The study is presented by Kelli DePriest and primary investigator Dr Arlene Butz from Johns Hopkins University and the University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, USA at the European Respiratory Society International Congress 2017.

Presenter of the study Kelli DePriest from Johns Hopkins University said that living in a city environment increases the risk of childhood asthma and factors associated with city-living - such as air pollution- are also known to contribute to high rates of poorly controlled asthma.

The team interviewed the parents of 196 children, aged between three and 12, all of whom had either visited accident and emergency at least twice or been hospitalised for their asthma over the past year.

They asked parents how many days each child had suffered with symptoms like being short of breath, chest pain and wheezing.

At the same time, they mapped the distances between the children's home addresses and the closest green space.

DePriest noted that the effect looked strongest for children aged six years and older. (ANI)