• S H Downs, G B Marks, E G Belosouva, and J K Peat.
• Institute of Respiratory Medicine, NSW, University of Sydney, Camperdown.
• Med. J. Aust. 2001 Jul 2; 175 (1): 101310-3.

ObjectiveTo compare the prevalence and risk factors for wheeze, asthma diagnosis and hayfever in Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal children living in rural towns in Australia.Design And SettingCross-sectional study in two towns in rural NSW, Australia, 1997.ParticipantsPrimary school children (aged 7-12 years) classified by their parents as being of Aboriginal (n = 158) or of non-Aboriginal (n = 1,282) origin.Main Outcome MeasuresAtopy measured by skinprick tests and respiratory symptoms measured by parent-completed questionnaire.ResultsAboriginal children were less likely to be atopic (36.2% v 45.6%; 95% CI for the difference, -17.6 to -1.3) and to have hayfever (23.3% v 35.2%; 95% CI for the difference, -19.1 to -4.6) than non-Aboriginal children, but were equally likely to have had wheeze (31.0% v 27.3%) and asthma (39.4% v 39.3%). Among Aboriginal children, having had bronchitis before age two was a strong risk factor for wheeze (adjusted odds ratio (aOR), 9.3; 95% CI, 2.8-30.2) and asthma (aOR, 19.3; 95% CI, 4.7-79.3) and having a parent with hayfever was a strong risk factor for hayfever (aOR, 17.9; 95% CI, 3.5-90.8), but these risk factors were weaker among non-Aboriginal children.ConclusionsAsthma and wheeze are equally prevalent in Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal children living in the same towns, but appear to have a different aetiology.

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