Impact of Shanxi Province Shenmu County's meteorological factors on children's lower respiratory tract infection

Objective To evaluate the relationship between Shenmu County's meteorological factors and the number of children's hospitalization due to lower respiratory tract infection. Methods Data collection was performed during Jan.2009 to Dec.2012, concerning Shenmu county's meteorological factors (temperature, pressure, rainfall, light intensity, wind velocity and relative humidity)for the hospitalization of children under 16 years of age. The statistical software SAS 9.3 was used to detect and analyze the correlations of the lower respiratory tract diseases with the hospita-lization rate with respect to meteorological factors, and to compare the total number of hospitalization due to lower respiratory tract diseases.Degree of correlation and the regression relationship were explored among various meteorological factors and the rate of hospitalization because of respiratory infections. Results There were 19 772 patients in this study, including 4 449 lower respiratory tract infection hospitalizations, accounting for 22.5%.The hospitalization rate of lower respiratory tract infection was significantly associated with air temperature(r=-0.651, P<0.001), barometric pressure(r=0.560, P<0.001), rainfall (r=-0.614, P<0.001) and relative humidity (r=-0.470, P<0.001), while it was not statistically associated with the light intensity and the wind velocity.Multiple linear regressions indicated that the lower respiratory tract infection hospitalization rate decreased with the gradual increase of temperature and relative humidity(F=38.30, 15.58, all P<0.001). Conclusion Temperature and relative humidity are the major influencing factors for lower respiratory tract infection hospitalization rate in Shenmu County's children. Key words: Meteorological factors; Hospitalized children; Lower respiratory tract infection