Efeito da sazonalidade do nascimento sobre a saúde e nutrição de crianças e adultos jovens

Abstract

This study evaluated the effects of the trimester of birth and of ambient temperature in the first six months of life on hospitalizations due to asthma and pneumonia in preschool children and on the diagnosis of asthma in adult life in individuals from the 1982 Pelotas (Brazil) Birth Cohort. This population-based cohort included 5,914 live births, of whom 75% were followed up until adulthood. The risk of hospitalization due to pneumonia and asthma among children born between April and June (months before the winter) was 1.31 (CI95% 0.99-1.73) to 2.4 (CI95% 1.11-4.99) times higher than that of children born between January and March (summer). The average temperature of the six first months of life was divided in tertiles; the risk of hospitalization was 1.64 (CI95% 1.26-2.13) to 3.16 (Ci95% 1.63-6.12) times higher in the coldest tertile compared to the hottest tertile. The effects of seasonality diminished with age and the association with asthma at 23-24 years was weak. Children from poor families showed a higher prevalence of hospitalization independent of birth season, but the effects of seasonality on pneumonia were more evident among children from wealthy families.