Incidence of Childhood Acute Otitis Media and Exposure to Air Pollutants in the Georgia Air Basin
Investigators: Elaina MacIntyre, Michael Brauer, Paul Demers from the University of British Columbia and Catherine Karr from the University of Washington

Objective:To assess the relationship between acute and cumulative exposure to air pollutants and acute and cumulative occurrence of otitis media.

Project Summary:
Middle ear infection, or otitis media, is the main reason for children under 2 to visit their doctor. As a respiratory irritant, environmental tobacco smoke is an accepted risk factor for this disease. Ambient air pollution may be a risk factor. In the first North American study to examine the relationship between residential air pollution exposure and incidence of acute otitis media, we are evaluating all children born from January 1999 to December 2000 in the Georgia Basin airshed (n=59,911) for otitis media episodes. Each child is followed from the age of 2-24 months. Cases were identified using British Columbia outpatient and hospital data. Exposure histories were created using the six-digit postal code of each child. Exposure was assigned based on ambient monitoring data for major air pollutants. A second level exposure assessment will also account for proximity to traffic, wood-burning and industrial point sources of air pollution. Acute otitis media diagnosis rates will be correlated, spatially and temporally, with residential air pollution levels. Available covariates such as socioeconomic indicators will be controlled for at both the individual and geographic level.

Presentations and Posters
Presentations are in PDF format. The free Acrobat Reader is needed to access these documents.

2008
Infant Otitis Media presented by Elaina MacIntyre at the BC Lung Association's 5th Annual Air Quality and Health Workshop March 28, 2008 at the Sheraton Vancouver Wall Centre. Download presentation

2007
Otitis Media in a Population-based Birth Cohort from British Columbia, Canada, presented by Elaina MacIntyre at the the Society for Epidemiological Research conference in June 2007. Download poster

Acute Otitis Media in Young Children, presented by Elaina MacIntyre at the BAQS Meeting in Semiahmoo, January 2007. Downolad presentation (pdf)

2006
Investigation of air pollution and otitis media in a population-based birth cohort E. MacIntyre, C. Karr, P. Demers, C. Lencar, L. Tamburic, M. Koehoorn, M. Brauer at the ISEE/ISEA Conference in Paris, September 2006. Download abstract or poster.

Exposure to Air Pollution and Risk of Acute Otitis Media in Young Children presented by E.MacIntyre, M.Brauer, P.Demers, C.Karr at the PNWIS Conference, Blaine WA. November 10, 2005. Download presentation or abstract.

Are you a parent concerned about your child's ear infections?
Download our fact sheet about ear infections and air pollution. It contains information about ear infections, air pollution, and the link between them. (Download pdf). For more detailed information, see the information below on related articles.

Maps
These maps show annual average air pollution levels, otitis media rates, and neighbourhood income levels in the Metro Vancouver area and Victoria.

For each forward sortation area (a geographical region where all postal codes start with the same three characters), you can see:

• the distribution of neighbourhood income
• the percentage of children who were diagnosed with otitis media before the age of two
• the concentration of nitrogen oxide (NO), an important air pollutant

Click on each image to enlarge

Related articles:

Brauer M, Gehring U, Brunekreef B, de Jongste J, Gerritsen J, Rovers M, Wichmann HE, Wijga A, Heinrich J. Traffic-related air pollution and otitis media. Environ Health Perspect. 2006 Sep;114(9):1414-8.

Heinrich J, Raghuyamshi VS. Air pollution and otitis media: a review of evidence from epidemiologic studies. Curr Allergy Asthma Rep. 2004 Jul;4(4):302-9.