Air pollution and school children respiratory diseases in Indonesia: A cohort study

Air pollutant in Jakarta is a high risk factor for acute respiratory diseases to children. Objective of this study is to determine the effect of air pollution to respiratory diseases among elementary school children in Jakarta. The cohort comprises 392 school children from 25 elementary schools in Jakarta. An initial symptoms observation was carried out when the study began, and daily observations were performed over the 90 days of the study. The incidence rate of cough was found higher among children in low polluted area than those in high polluted area (11% and 4.9% respectively) but the incidence rates of sore throat, phlegm, and nasal were found no different between children in high and low polluted area. Having risk of sore throat found longer among children in low polluted area (survival time 7-8 days) than high polluted area (3-4 days). In contrast, having risk of cough found longer among children in high polluted area (survival time 8-9 days) than low polluted area (2-3 days). Similarly, having risk of phlegm and nasal found longer among children in low polluted area (survival time 4-5 days and 5-6 days) than high polluted area (3-4 days and 2-3 days) respectively. Air pollutants affected the risk of having sore throat, cough, phlegm, and nasal to elementary school children both in high and low polluted areas in Jakarta. It is suggested improvement of air quality monitoring, better quality for gasoline, reduce traffic congestion, and promote better public transports and green energy.