The National Children’s Respiratory Health Survey is a countrywide cross-sectional survey including all 3rd grade schoolchildren and repeated in every 5-7 years. Three surveys have already been conducted by the National Public Health Center (NPHC) including more than 62,000, 67,000 and 66,000 children in 2005, 2010 and 2017, respectively. The aim of the survey is to assess the health status of children and the associated environmental conditions and exposures by a parent-reported questionnaire. Questions on perinatal conditions, the parents’ respiratory health and smoking habits, the home environment, socio-economic status, acute and chronic respiratory symptoms and diseases, some general and neurological symptoms. The main objectives of the study are (i) to assess the prevalence of chronic respiratory symptoms as an environmental health indicator among the schoolchildren, (ii) to evaluate the health status of the children in relation to their home environment, and (iii) to serve as a basis for the development of policies and programmes aiming at decreasing respiratory diseases in childhood. The temporal trends in the prevalence of symptoms and risk factors can be monitored by conducting the survey periodically.
Based on the results, the proportion of children with chronic bronchitis symptoms has decreased slightly over the last 10 years (18.8% in 2010; 17.5% in 2017). The proportion of children receiving medical treatment for asthma has increased slightly from 6.2% to 8.9% between 2010 and 2017. The proportion of allergies diagnosed by a doctor was 20.2% in 2010 and only a slight increase (21%) could be observed in 2017. The questions on bronchitic, asthmatic and allergic symptoms are based on the international ISAAC (The International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood) questionnaires; thus, the data can be compared with international trends.
Besides the National Children’s Respiratory Health Survey, the environmental conditions of the public settings for children (elementary and secondary schools, kindergartens, nurseries) are also regularly monitored by the public health officers. Standardized checklists issued by the NPCH are used in every 5 years. In this way, the results highlight the existing public health and environmental problems for the decision-makers, and preventive programs can be initiated in the problem areas.