Characteristics of included studies about ambient humidity and children's health (n = 37).

<p><b>Abbreviations</b>: GAM, generalized additive model; GLM, generalized linear models; ARIMA models, autoregressive integrated moving average modeling; r, correlation coefficient; β, regression coefficient; R²/r², coefficient of determination; RR, relative risk; OR, odds ratio; IRR, incident rate ratio; CI, 95% confidence interval; RSV, human respiratory syncytial virus; IA, influenza virus A.</p>a<p>These included articles are ordered by the date of publication and the first word of their titles.</p>b<p>In these studies there is more than one meteorological factor that was investigated and analyzed, respectively or simultaneously.</p><p>[N]: N is the specific citation number of the related study included in the present review.</p><p>Characteristics of included studies about ambient humidity and children's health (n = 37).</p

Flow chart of the screening and selection process of the study articles.

<p>Flow chart of the screening and selection process of the study articles.</p

Impact of Ambient Humidity on Child Health: A Systematic Review

<div><p>Background and Objectives</p><p>Changes in relative humidity, along with other meteorological factors, accompany ongoing climate change and play a significant role in weather-related health outcomes, particularly among children. The purpose of this review is to improve our understanding of the relationship between ambient humidity and child health, and to propose directions for future research.</p><p>Methods</p><p>A comprehensive search of electronic databases (PubMed, Medline, Web of Science, ScienceDirect, OvidSP and EBSCO host) and review of reference lists, to supplement relevant studies, were conducted in March 2013. All identified records were selected based on explicit inclusion criteria. We extracted data from the included studies using a pre-designed data extraction form, and then performed a quality assessment. Various heterogeneities precluded a formal quantitative meta-analysis, therefore, evidence was compiled using descriptive summaries.</p><p>Results</p><p>Out of a total of 3797 identified records, 37 papers were selected for inclusion in this review. Among the 37 studies, 35% were focused on allergic diseases and 32% on respiratory system diseases. Quality assessment revealed 78% of the studies had reporting quality scores above 70%, and all findings demonstrated that ambient humidity generally plays an important role in the incidence and prevalence of climate-sensitive diseases among children.</p><p>Conclusions</p><p>With climate change, there is a significant impact of ambient humidity on child health, especially for climate-sensitive infectious diseases, diarrhoeal diseases, respiratory system diseases, and pediatric allergic diseases. However, some inconsistencies in the direction and magnitude of the effects are observed.</p></div

Adapted STROBE Statement—checklist of items that should be included in reports of observational studies (including additions/adaptations for accommodating meteorological data).

<p>*Give information separately for cases and controls in case-control studies and, if applicable, for exposed and unexposed groups in cohort and cross-sectional studies.</p><p>Adapted STROBE Statement—checklist of items that should be included in reports of observational studies (including additions/adaptations for accommodating meteorological data).</p