Impact of traffic flow on the asthma prevalence among school children in Lima, Peru

Objective. To estimate the impact of traffic flow on the prevalence of asthma among school children of 6 to7 and 13 to 14-years of age. Methods. A cross-sectional study consisting of 5,917 children selected in schools of the Cone Norte of Lima, Peru. Results. For the 6- to 7-year age group the prevalence of medical diagnosis of asthma according to the traffic flow index was 8.6% (CI: 6.8-10.8), 10.3% (CI: 8.4-12.4), and 15.3% (CI:13.3-17.5) at low, medium and high, respectively, and for the 13- to 14-year age group, 11.9% (CI: 9.4-14.6), 13.3% (CI: 11.6-15.2), and 17.1% (CI: 14.7-19.6). Conclusions. For both groups, the prevalence of asthma was significantly related to traffic flow density.