Respiratory symptoms and duration of residence in immigrant teenagers living in Melbourne, Australia

Abstract

Objective - Examination of the relation between respiratory symptoms and time since arrival in Australia in immigrant teenagers living in Melbourne. Design - Two stages stratified, cross sectional survey. Setting-High schools (n = 51). Subjects - 9794 people aged 13-19 years. Main outcome measures- Prevalence of wheeze during a 12 month period, region of births duration of residence in Australia. Results - The estimated population 12 month period prevalence of wheeze was 18.9% (95% confidence interval (CI)s 18.0 to 19.9). In subjects born outside Australia, residence for five to nine years in Australia was associated with a 2.1-fold (CI, 1.1 to 4.0) increase in the odds of self reported whee..