Editorial: Preventing Childhood Asthma -The Neglected Impact of Existing Public Health Interventions

David Michael Patrick^1,2*Stuart Turvey³Meghan B Azad^4,5Petra Zimmermann^6,7,8Angela Dramowski⁹Hannah Lishman²

• ¹School of Population and Public Health, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada
• ²British Columbia Centre for Disease Control, Vancouver, Canada
• ³Department of Paediatrics, BC Children's Hospital, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada
• ⁴Department of Paediatrics and Child Health, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada
• ⁵Manitoba Interdisciplinary Lactation Centre, Children's Hospital Research Institute of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada
• ⁶Faculty of Health Science and Medicine, University of Lucerne, Lucerne, Switzerland
• ⁷Department of Community Health, Faculty of Science and Medicine, University of Fribourg, Fribourg, Switzerland
• ⁸Department of Paediatrics, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Australia
• ⁹Department of Paediatrics and Child Health, Stellenbosch University, Capetown, South Africa

Asthma is the most prevalent chronic disease childhood in high income countries, with 41 prevalence rising steeply during the late 20 th century, a pattern now echoed in some middle-42 countries. ( This series provides a comprehensive introduction to experimental, population, cohort and 148 modelling studies in this key area. When considered in aggregate, the evidence points to a 149 significant potential to reduce the burden of atopic disease where it is possible to reduce 150 unnecessary antibiotic use and encourage human milk feeding for infants, alongside existing 151 evidence of the benefit of improved air quality. Antimicrobial resistance and optimal infant 152 nutrition are already sound reasons for such actions, but it now appears increasingly likely that 153 they may also have a sizable impact on the scale of atopic disease pandemics, morbidity and 154 costs. 155 156