[Allergies and school - what makes me itch? A primary school project in Bielefeld on health promotion for allergic diseases]. / Allergie und Schule - Was juckt mich das?Ein Grundschulprojekt in Bielefeld zur Gesundheitsförderung bei allergischen Krankheiten.

ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION: According to KiGGS the 12-month prevalence of asthma, hay fever and atopic dermatitis for 7-10-year-old children amounts to 16.7%. Primary school children are not at home with their disease, in everyday school life many detrimental and stigmatising aspects can be observed. In an interdisciplinary primary school project in Bielefeld between 2008 and 2010 the prevalence, disease knowledge and health attitudes of children in the 3rd school year were recorded; an appropriate approach to these diseases was also to be provided. METHODS: In classes of the 3rd school year a 2-hour teaching unit on allergic diseases was carried out. Before and after (1st + 2nd examination time points [ETP]) the children were questioned about their knowledge and attitudes to allergic diseases and their general opinions about health. The parents were similarly questioned. RESULTS: In 2008, 23 schools with 64 classes and 1 345 children participated in the project, the average age of the children was 8.9 years. Data were obtained for 1 216/1 211 children at the 1st and 2nd ETPs, respectively. 336 (27.6%)/367 (30.3%) stated that they had an allergic disease, of these 16.6%/17.3% had an allergy, 5.1%/5.9% asthma and 4.0%/6.6% atopic dermatitis (the parents reported 15.1%, 5.4% and 7.8%). Clear deficits were found in disease knowledge but could be markedly improved. CONCLUSIONS: In comparison to KiGGS data published in 2007, our prevalence rates for allergies are higher - albeit with a wider definition of allergy; the numbers for asthma and atopic dermatitis are comparable. The knowledge deficits among children indicate the necessity for further information. The project was continued in 2011 and should be implemented in the primary school teaching programme.