Evidence map›Paper›PMID 29325544›Full record

ArticleBMC public health2018

Prevalence and associated factors of wheezing illnesses of children aged three to five years living in under-served settlements of the Colombo Municipal Council in Sri Lanka: a cross-sectional study.

Ruwanika Seneviratne, Nalika S Gunawardena

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in BMC public health, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 8 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
8citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

8 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Risk Factors and Mechanisms Leading to Preschool Recurrent Wheeze and Asthma.The journal of allergy and clinical immunology. In practice · 2025
    Review
  3. Article
  4. Article
  5. Article
  6. Article
  7. Differences in serum markers of oxidative stress in well controlled and poorly controlled asthma in Sri Lankan children: a pilot study.Allergy, asthma, and clinical immunology : official journal of the Canadian Society of Allergy and Clinical Immunology · 2020
    Article
  8. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

2 authors.

Ruwanika SeneviratneMinistry of Health, Nutrition and Indigenous Medicine, "Suwasiripaya", No 385, Rev. Baddegama Wimalawansa Thero Mawatha, Colombo, 10, Sri Lanka.
Nalika S GunawardenaWorld Health Organization Country Office for Sri Lanka, No 5, Anderson Road, Colombo, 05, Sri Lanka. gunawardenan@who.int.

Funding

World Health Organization 001
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundA rising trend in Sri Lanka for asthma and wheezing illness is observed with higher morbidity in younger children and a paucity of related research. 'Under-served settlements' (USS) of Colombo Municipal Council (CMC) have poor living environments conducive to childhood wheezing. The objective was to describe the prevalence and associated factors of wheezing illnesses of three to five year old children living in low-income settlements in CMC.

methodsA cross-sectional study was conducted on 460 three to five year old children and their caregivers using cluster sampling among residents of two randomly selected USSs of CMC. An interviewer-administered questionnaire, observation checklist and data extraction form were used in data collection. A physician's diagnosis of wheezing/whistling of the chest in their lifetime and a physician's diagnosis of wheezing/whistling within the past twelve months were considered as 'ever-wheezing illness' and 'current-wheezing illness' respectively.

resultsMean age was 3.98 years (SD = ±0.64 years). A majority were males (51.3%) and Tamils (39.8%). Prevalence of 'ever wheezing illness' and 'current wheezing illness' were 38% (95% confidence interval (CI); 33.6%-42.5%) and 21.3% (95%CI; 17.6%-25.0%), respectively. Maternal (p < 0.001) and paternal (p < 0.001) histories of wheezing, playing with soft toys in the sleeping area (p = 0.004), place of cooking combined with the living area (p = 0.03), unsatisfactory ventilation in the sleeping area (p < 0.001) were found to be significantly associated with increased 'current wheezing' through multivariate analysis in this study. Use of formula milk before six months of age (p = 0.014) was found to be protective through multivariate analysis.

conclusionsThe magnitude of wheezing illnesses among three to five year old children residing in urban low-income settlements was found to be high. Children with a history of maternal and/or paternal wheezing should be targeted for early interventions to prevent wheezing illnesses. Interventions to avoid exacerbations should focus on the indoor environmental factors that were found to be associated with wheezing illnesses.

Indexed as

Poverty AreasRespiratory SoundsAsthmaChild, PreschoolCross-Sectional StudiesFemaleHumansMalePrevalenceResidence CharacteristicsRisk FactorsSri LankaCurrent-wheezing illnessEver-wheezing illnessesPreschool child

Identifiers

PMID29325544
PMCPMC5765666

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.