Asthma symptoms, spirometry and air pollution exposure in schoolchildren in an informal settlement and an affluent area of Nairobi, Kenya

Authors have carried out a cross-sectional observational study in Nairobi, Kenya, comparing the respiratory characteristics and environmental exposures of children attending schools within the informal settlement of Mukuru with children attending schools in the nearby more affluent residential area of Buruburu. The aims of the Tupumue (Swahili for ‘let us breathe’) study were to investigate whether there is a difference in asthma symptoms, other respiratory symptoms and lung function between the schoolchildren of Mukuru and Buruburu and to explore whether indoor/outdoor air pollution is associated with asthma symptoms, other respiratory symptoms and lung function. The focus on air pollution was requested by both communities who are greatly worried by the possible impact of air pollution on their children’s health.