The Associations Between Home Environment And Sick Building Syndrome(SBS) Symptoms Among Adults In The Six Cities Of China

According to the research at home and abroad,people spend 80%—90% of their time indoors every day.And nearly 50% of the people live in the dwellings with indoor air pollution in the world.Therefore,the level of these people's health and the quality of life and work will be directly affected by indoor air quality and pollution.In recent years,a growing amount of research focus on sick building syndrome(SBS)which is a series of symptoms related to the indoor environment.Studying the correlation between home indoor environmental factors and adults' health has important theoretical and practical significance for people using measures to prevent and control pollutions,to improve indoor environmental quality and protect their health.In this study,day care centers were randomly selected by a cluster sampling method in six cities of China.Data on parents' SBS symptoms,indoor factors and lifestyles were collected by individual health questionnaires.Chi-square test was applied to compare the prevalence of parents' SBS symptoms between groups with different demographic and health characteristics.The correlation between indoor factors and lifestyles and SBS symptoms were examined by two-level logistic regression,normal logistic regression or stepwise logistic regression.The results showed as follows:(1)Compared with male,female had more SBS symptoms.And the prevalence of all SBS symptoms was significantly higher in the asthma or allergy group.Current smokers reported more cough symptoms.(2)The problems of indoor dampness and mold in southern cities were worse than northern city.7 signs of dampness were risk factors for adults' SBS symptoms.Besides,when the dampness/mold index increased,the odds ratio(OR)for each SBS symptom increased.(3)Living near a main road,new furniture,redecoration,incense,keeping pets and the appearance of rats,cockroaches and mosquitoes/flies may increase the risk for SBS symptoms in Chinese adults.Compared to cement,construction materials including real wood,laminated wood and paint were more associated with the risk for fatigue,throat and general symptoms.Both cleaning every day and frequently put bedding to sunshine were protective against SBS symptoms.And using mosquito-repellent incense was protective against general symptoms.(4)Some signs of dampness and mold including window pane condensation in winter,dampness on clothing/bed were more associated with the SBS symptoms of female.And some signs of dampness and mold including water damage,moldy odor and humid air were more associated with the SBS symptoms of male.Moreover,dampness and mold indicators were more associated with the people's general and mucosal symptoms who without allergic or asthmatic history and the people's skin symptoms who with allergic or asthmatic history.The associations between dampness and mold indicators and mucosal symptoms were stronger in northern cities.(5)Compared to cement,construction materials including real wood,laminated wood and paint were more associated with female's general symptoms.The associations between appearance of rats,cockroaches and mosquitoes/flies and the mucosal and skin symptoms were stronger in northern city.In conclusion,people should regularly ventilate and clean their rooms to avoid the occurrence of the dampness problems and the emergence of cockroaches,rats and so on,especially for women and sensitive population who are easily affected by adverse environment.This study provides basic information to protect the adults' health and to improve the environment quality of dwellings.