Photo Credit: bluecinema

The following is a summary of “Disparities in allergy and asthma prevalence among schoolteachers,” published in the September 2024 issue of Allergy and Immunology by Ruran et al. 

Research indicates that school-related factors influence the prevalence of allergic diseases in students; however, their impact on the health of educators remains unclear. 

Researchers conducted a retrospective study to compare the prevalence of allergic and respiratory conditions among teachers in urban, suburban, and rural schools. 

They collected electronic survey data from a random sample of prekindergarten through grade 12 teachers in Massachusetts, comparing teacher demographics with allergic respiratory symptoms. 

The results showed that among 398 respondents, the median (SD) age was 45 (12.32) years; 71.8% taught in suburban schools, 76.6% were female, and 87.1% were White, similar to Massachusetts Department of Higher Education demographics. Male teachers more frequently reported wheezing (P = .007). Over half of rural teachers (54.54%) experienced symptoms like sleep disruption from coughing, compared to 34.61% of suburban teachers (P = .03). Nearly half (48.26%) of public-school teachers reported exercise-induced chest pain versus 37.03% of private school teachers (P = .05). Urban teachers with asthma missed school more frequently due to food allergies compared to suburban and rural teachers with asthma (P = .02). Among those without asthma, school absences were associated with nighttime breathing trouble (P < .0001), persistent cough (P = .002), and sore throat (P < .0001). 

The study concluded that rural and public school teachers reported more respiratory symptoms than suburban and private school teachers, indicating disparities. 

Source: jacionline.org/article/S0091-6749(24)00978-3/fulltext