INDOOR ENVIRONMENTAL DETERMINANTS OF LUNG-FUNCTION IN CHILDREN

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Abstract
Using pulmonary function and family respiratory questionnaire data for 16,689 white children 6-13 yr of age from 7 geographic areas, effect of several environmental and other factors on performance in a standard breathing test were examined. FEV0.75 [75% of forced expiratory volume in 1 s] was correlated most with age, height and sex. A dose-response relationship was observed with maternal smoking habits and explained 0.1% of the variance. No effect caused by the father''s smoking habits was observed. A decrease (P = 0.0524) in FEV among older girls was associated with the presence of a gas cooking stove in the home. Although the statistical significance of the decreases was largely attributable to the size of the sample, the decreases in FEV, though small, were considered biologically significant.