Open Access
Atopic dermatitis and indoor use of energy sources in cooking and heating appliances
(BioMed Central, 2012) Vicedo Cabrera, Ana M.; García Marcos, Luís; Llopis González, Agustín; López Silvarrey Varela, Ángel; Miner Canflanca, Izaskun; Batlles Garrido, José; Blanco Quirós, Alfredo; Busquets Monge, Rosa María; Díaz Vazquez, Carlos; González Díaz, Carlos; Martínez Gimeno, Antonio; Guillén Grima, Francisco; Arnedo Pena, Alberto; Morales Suárez Varela, María; Ciencias de la Salud; Osasun Zientziak
Background: Atopic dermatitis (AD) prevalence has considerably increased worldwide in recent years. Studying indoor environments is particularly relevant, especially in industrialised countries where many people spend 80% of their time at home, particularly children. This study is aimed to identify the potential association between AD and the energy source (biomass, gas and electricity) used for cooking and domestic heating in a Spanish schoolchildren population. Methods: As part of the ISAAC (International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood) phase III study, a cross-sectional population-based survey was conducted with 21,355 6-to-7-year-old children from 8 Spanish ISAAC centres. AD prevalence, environmental risk factors and the use of domestic heating/cooking devices were assessed using the validated ISAAC questionnaire. Crude and adjusted odds ratios (cOR, aOR) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were obtained. A logistic regression analysis was performed (Chi-square test, p-value < 0.05). Results: It was found that the use of biomass systems gave the highest cORs, but only electric cookers showed a significant cOR of 1.14 (95% CI: 1.01-1.27). When the geographical area and the mother’s educational level were included in the logistic model, the obtained aOR values differed moderately from the initial cORs. Electric heating was the only type which obtained a significant aOR (1.13; 95% CI: 1.00-1.27). Finally, the model with all selected confounding variables (sex, BMI, number of siblings, mother’s educational level, smoking habits of parents, truck traffic and geographical area), showed aOR values which were very similar to those obtained in the previous adjusted logistic analysis. None of the results was statistically significant, but the use of electric heating showed an aOR close to significance (1.14; 95% CI: 0.99-1.31). Conclusion: In our study population, no statistically significant associations were found between the type of indoor energy sources used and the presence of AD.
Open Access
Relationship between perceived body weight and body mass index based on self- reported height and weight among university students: a cross-sectional study in seven European countries
(BioMed Central, 2010) Mikolajczyk, Rafael T.; Maxwell, Annette E.; El Ansari, Walid; Stock, Christiane; Petkeviciene, Janina; Guillén Grima, Francisco; Ciencias de la Salud; Osasun Zientziak
Background: Despite low rates of obesity, many university students perceive themselves as overweight, especially women. This is of concern, because inappropriate weight perceptions can lead to unhealthy behaviours including eating disorders. Methods: We used the database from the Cross National Student Health Survey (CNSHS), consisting of 5, 900 records of university students from Bulgaria, Denmark, Germany, Lithuania, Poland, Spain and Turkey to analyse differences in perceived weight status based on the question: "Do you consider yourself much too thin, a little too thin, just right, a little too fat or much too fat?". The association between perceived weight and body mass index (BMI) calculated from self-reported weight and height was assessed with generalized non-parametric regression in R library gam. Results: Although the majority of students reported a normal BMI (72-84% of males, 65-83% of females), only 32% to 68% of students considered their weight "just right". Around 20% of females with BMI of 20 kg/m(2) considered themselves "a little too fat" or "too fat", and the percentages increased to 60% for a BMI of 22.5 kg/m(2). Male students rarely felt "a little too fat" or "too fat" below BMI of 22.5 kg/m(2), but most felt too thin with a BMI of 20 kg/m(2). Conclusions: Weight ideals are rather uniform across the European countries, with female students being more likely to perceive themselves as "too fat" at a normal BMI, while male students being more likely to perceive themselves as "too thin". Programs to prevent unhealthy behaviours to achieve ill-advised weight ideals may benefit students.

Guillén Grima, Francisco

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