Introduction
Acute respiratory tract infection (ARI) is a
common health problem and one of the leading
causes of infectious disease morbidity and
mortality in the world (WHO., 2007).
Approximately one in three respiratory episodes
were associated with a doctor’s visit, and one in
four necessitated time off school or work (Leder
et al., 2003). Inappropriate antibiotic use for
treating ARI is an important contributor to
antibiotic resistance (CDC., 2013). The risk
factors of ARI include young age
(Nasanen‐Gilmore et al., 2015), parental smoking
(Bielska et al., 2015; Cook and Strachan, 1997;
Pandey et al., 2016; Sikolia DN and Kurui J,
2002; Ujunwa and Ezeonu, 2014) and exposure to
persons with respiratory complaints (van
Gageldonk-Lafeber et al., 2007). Parents’
education (Goel et al., 2013; Pandey et al., 2016;
Prajapati et al., 2011; Savitha et al., 2007; Suguna
et al., 2014; Taksande and Yeole, 2015; Ujunwa
and Ezeonu, 2014), family history of allergy
(Suguna et al., 2014) or bronchial asthma
(Mathew et al., 2015; Suguna et al., 2014) were
reported as a risk factors for ARI.
Int. J. Curr. Res. Med. Sci. (2016). 2(7): 50-58
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Many environmental risk factor related to
overcrowded houses (Goel et al., 2013; Montasser
et al., 2012; Pandey et al., 2016; Prajapati et al.,
2011; Savitha et al., 2007; Sikolia DN and Kurui
J, 2002; Taksande and Yeole, 2015; Ujunwa and
Ezeonu, 2014), inadequate ventilation (Claudio et
al., 2016; Goel et al., 2013; Savitha et al., 2007;
Sikolia DN and Kurui J, 2002; Suguna et al.,
2014; Taksande and Yeole, 2015), improper
housing condition (Taksande and Yeole, 2015),
use of household biomass fuel (Nasanen‐Gilmore
et al., 2015; Po et al., 2011; Ramani et al., 2016;
Savitha et al., 2007; Sikolia DN and Kurui J,
2002; Smith et al., 2000; Taksande and Yeole,
2015; Ujunwa and Ezeonu, 2014), presence of
hey or farm animal, birds and pets (Ramani et al.,
2016) were also reported to be risk factors of
ARI. Many studies were reported the prevalence
of ARI and their risk factors in children underfive
worldwide (Goel et al., 2013; Pandey et al.,
2016; Prajapati et al., 2012; Prajapati et al., 2011;
Ramani et al., 2016; Sikolia DN and Kurui J,
2002; Taksande and Yeole, 2015; Ujunwa and
Ezeonu, 2014; Vardanyan et al., 2013) and in
Egypt (Khalek and Abdel-Salam, 2016;
Montasser et al., 2012). In spite of being common
in school children, only few studies (Mandlik et
al., 2015; Mathew et al., 2015; Suguna et al.,
2014) reported the prevalence of ARI in school
children. The prevalence of ARI in school
children were high ranged from 46-51%. To our
knowledge no study reported the prevalence of
ARI in school children in Egypt. The aim of this
study is to detect the prevalence of ARI in school
children in Sohag and Qena governorates, upper
Egypt and their related risk factors.
Participants and Methods
Study design
This was a cross-sectional study.
Study setting
The study was conducted during the academic
school year 2015-2016 in Sohag and Qena
Governorates -two of the nine governorates in the
south of Egypt - Egypt consists of 27
governorates. Sohag consists of 12 municipalities;
the total surface area of Sohag is 11,218 km2 with
a total population of 4,694,768 citizens according
to Egyptian Central Agency for Public
Mobilization and Statistics report in 2015. The
total number of students in primary schools in
Sohag was 171,468 students in 2014–2015. The
total surface area of Qena is 10,798 Km2 with a
population of 3,102,665 citizens. Qena consists of
2 big cities and 11 districts. The total number of
students in primary schools in Qena was 132,659
students in 2014–2015.