Lung function in relation to farm dwelling and farming activities in rural dwelling children

Background and objective The relationship between farming exposures and pulmonary function in a rural paediatric population was evaluated. Methods Baseline data collection records of the Saskatchewan Rural Health Study ( SRHS ), a population‐based study, were used. A subset of children (6–14 years old) participated in clinical testing, including anthropometric measures and pulmonary function testing ( PFT ), using spirometry ( n  = 584). PFTs followed ATS criteria and all statistical analyses were controlled for age, sex and height. Results Among clinical testing participants, 47.5% were females and 54.5% were farm dwelling. Of those living on farms, 77.5% were livestock farms. Mean percent predicted value ( PPV ) for forced expiratory volume in 1 s ( FEV 1 ) and forced vital capacity ( FVC ) among children living on a farm were 104.8% and 105.4%, respectively. Mean PPV for FEV 1 and FVC among children not living on a farm were 102.7% and 101.4%, respectively. After adjustment, higher FEV 1 (=0.079, SE  = 0.033, P  = 0.03) and FVC (=0.110, SE  = 0.039, P  = 0.006) were seen among children living on a farm. A trend towards lower FEV 1 / FVC ratio (−0.013, SE  = 0.008, P  = 0.09) among children living on a farm was seen compared with children not living on a farm. Higher FVC and lower FEV 1 / FVC ratio were seen in children who regularly emptied grain bins ( P  < 0.05). Trends towards higher FEV 1 ( P  = 0.14) and FVC ( P  = 0.08) were also seen with children living on a farm in the first year of life. Since the majority of the population was Caucasian (91%), the results were not race‐corrected. Conclusion We addressed the lack of knowledge regarding the association between lung function and rural exposures, and found that differences in lung function were seen between children living on a farm and not living on a farm in rural areas and certain farming activities, specifically emptying grain bins, where lung function was generally better in those living on a farm.