Cohort profile: the multigeneration Respiratory Health in Northern Europe, Spain and Australia (RHINESSA) cohort

Purpose: The Respiratory Health in Northern Europe, Spain and Australia (RHINESSA) cohort was established to (1) investigate how exposures before conception and in previous generations influence health and disease, particularly allergies and respiratory health, (2) identify susceptible time windows and (3) explore underlying mechanisms. The ultimate aim is to facilitate efficient intervention strategies targeting multiple generations. Participants: RHINESSA includes study participants of multiple generations from ten study centres in Norway (1), Denmark (1), Sweden (3), Iceland (1), Estonia (1), Spain (2) and Australia (1). The RHINESSA core cohort, adult offspring generation 3 (G3), was first investigated in 2014-17 in a questionnaire study (N=8818, age 18-53 years) and a clinical study (subsample, n=1405). Their G2 parents participated in the population-based cohorts, European Community Respiratory Heath Survey and Respiratory Health In Northern Europe, followed since the early 1990s when they were 20-44 years old, at 8-10 years intervals. Study protocols are harmonised across generations. Findings to date Collected data include spirometry, skin prick tests, exhaled nitric oxide, anthropometrics, bioimpedance, blood pressure; questionnaire/interview data on respiratory/ general/reproductive health, indoor/outdoor environment, smoking, occupation, general characteristics and lifestyle; biobanked blood, urine, gingival fluid, skin swabs; measured specific and total IgE, DNA methylation, sex hormones and oral microbiome. Research results: suggest that parental environment years before conception, in particular, father’s exposures such as smoking and overweight, may be of key importance for asthma and lung function, and that there is an important susceptibility window in male prepuberty. Statistical analyses developed to approach causal inference suggest that these associations may be causal. DNA methylation studies suggest a mechanism for transfer of father’s exposures to offspring health and disease through impact on offspring DNA methylation. Future plans: Follow-up is planned at 5–8 years intervals, first in 2021-2023. Linkage with health registries contributes to follow-up of the cohort.Coordination of the RHINESSA study has received funding from the Research Council of Norway (Grants No. 274767, 214123, 228174, 230 827 and 273838), ERC StG project BRuSH #804199, the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No. 633 212 (the ALEC Study WP2), the Bergen Medical Research Foundation, and the Western Norwegian Regional Health Authorities (Grants No. 912011, 911 892 and 911631). Study centres have further received local funding from the following: Bergen: the above grants for study establishment and co- ordination, and, in addition, World University Network (REF and Sustainability grants), Norwegian Labour Inspection, the Norwegian Asthma and Allergy Association and Trond Mohn Foundation (Grant ID BFS2017TMT02). Albacete and Huelva: Sociedad Española de Patología Respiratoria (SEPAR) Fondo de Investigación Sanitaria (FIS PS09). Gøteborg, Umeå and Uppsala: the Swedish Heart and Lung Foundation, the Swedish Asthma and Allergy Association. Reykjavik: Iceland University. Melbourne: Australian National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Project Grant ID1128450. Tartu: the Estonian Research Council (Grant No. PUT562). Århus: The Danish Wood Foundation (Grant No. 444508795), the Danish Working Environment Authority (Grant No. 20150067134), Aarhus University (PhD scholarship).The RHINE study received funding by Norwegian Research Council, Norwegian Asthma and Allergy Association, Danish Lung Association, Swedish Heart and Lung Foundation, Vårdal Foundation for Health CareHealthcare Science and Allergy Research, Swedish Asthma and Allergy Association, Icelandic Research Council, and Estonian Science Foundation. The RHINE IV ongoing study has received funding from the Research Council of Norway project Life- GAP grant No. 300 765.Co- ordination of the ECRHS study has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No. 633 212 (the ALEC study), the Medical Research Council (ECRHS III) and the European Commission FP5 and FP7 (ECRHS I and II). The ECRHS IV ongoing study in the ten RHINESSA study centres has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme projects EPHOR under grant agreement No. 874 703 and European Research Council (ERC) project BRuSH under grant agreement No. 804199, and from the Research Council of Norway grant No. 273 838. Funding agencies for ECRHS I, II and III are reported in online supplement.Coordination of the RHINESSA study has received funding from the Research Council of Norway (Grants No. 274767, 214123, 228174, 230 827 and 273838), ERC StG project BRuSH #804199, the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No. 633 212 (the ALEC Study WP2), the Bergen Medical Research Foundation, and the Western Norwegian Regional Health Authorities (Grants No. 912011, 911 892 and 911631). Study centres have further received local funding from the following: Bergen: the above grants for study establishment and co-ordination, and, in addition, World University Network (REF and Sustainability grants), Norwegian Labour Inspection, the Norwegian Asthma and Allergy Association and Trond Mohn Foundation (Grant ID BFS2017TMT02). Albacete and Huelva: Sociedad Española de Patología Respiratoria (SEPAR) Fondo de Investigación Sanitaria (FIS PS09). Gøteborg, Umeå and Uppsala: the Swedish Heart and Lung Foundation, the Swedish Asthma and Allergy Association. Reykjavik: Iceland University. Melbourne: Australian National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Project Grant ID1128450. Tartu: the Estonian Research Council (Grant No. PUT562). Århus: The Danish Wood Foundation (Grant No. 444508795), the Danish Working Environment Authority (Grant No. 20150067134), Aarhus University (PhD scholarship).The RHINE study received funding by Norwegian Research Council, Norwegian Asthma and Allergy Association, Danish Lung Association, Swedish Heart and Lung Foundation, Vårdal Foundation for Health CareHealthcare Science and Allergy Research, Swedish Asthma and Allergy Association, Icelandic Research Council, and Estonian Science Foundation. The RHINE IV ongoing study has received funding from the Research Council of Norway project Life-GAP grant No. 300 765.Co-ordination of the ECRHS study has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No. 633 212 (the ALEC study), the Medical Research Council (ECRHS III) and the European Commission FP5 and FP7 (ECRHS I and II). The ECRHS IV ongoing study in the ten RHINESSA study centres has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme projects EPHOR under grant agreement No. 874 703 and European Research Council (ERC) project BRuSH under grant agreement No. 804199, and from the Research Council of Norway grant No. 273 838. Funding agencies for ECRHS I, II and III are reported in online supplement

Can selection explain the protective effects of farming on asthma?

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVE: Reduced asthma and allergy risks in farmers have been ascribed to microbial exposures. However, selection may also play a role and this was assessed in two Scandinavian farming populations. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Asthma prevalence in 739 Danish farming students was compared to that of 1,105 siblings. 8,482 Norwegian farmers were also compared with 349 early retired farmers. RESULTS: The prevalence of ever-asthma was 5.4% in farming students and 5.2% in siblings (OR 1.1; 95%CI 0.73-1.7). Current asthma in farmers was 3.0% compared to 6.3% in farmers who had retired early (OR 1.8, 95%CI 1.1-2.9). Adjustments for early retirement increased the asthma prevalence by 0.3-0.6%. Farmers who had changed production were more likely to have asthma (OR 9.8, 95% CI 6.0-16). CONCLUSIONS: No healthy worker selection into farming was observed and changes in asthma prevalence due to early retirement were small. Selection effects are therefore unlikely to explain the protective effects of farming on asthma

The cohort of young Danish farmers – A longitudinal study of the health effects of farming exposure

Working in agriculture poses a serious risk for development of respiratory diseases, especially when working in animal housing. Animal workers are exposed to a mixture of organic and inorganic dust together with fumes and gases, including allergens and microbial-associated molecular patterns with a potentially major impact on respiratory health and the immune system. Exposure to microbial agents in animal housing is associated with an increased prevalence of respiratory symptoms, including bronchial hyperresponsiveness, accelerated lung function decline, and neutrophil-mediated inflammation. These clinical findings are often seen without IgE-mediated sensitization. In fact it has been found in recent studies that the prevalence of atopic sensitization and atopic asthma is low among farmers compared with other populations. The SUS study was designed to identify the type and occurrence of respiratory symptoms and disease, and to investigate risk factors for respiratory disorders and changes in lung function among young farming students. The cohort of young Danish farmers was established in 1992/1994 and followed up in 2007/2008 with a participation rate of 51.7%. The cohort consists of 1734 male farming students, 230 female farming students, and 407 army recruits as controls

Association of perceived work pace and physical work demands with occupational accidents:a cross-sectional study of ageing male construction workers in Denmark

BACKGROUND: Occupational accidents continue to be a significant public health challenge worldwide. Construction workers in particular are at high risk of occupational accidents, and thus it is of major importance to identify possible predictors of occupational accidents among construction workers. We aimed to investigate the association between self-reported work pace and physical work demands and occupational accidents among ageing male construction workers in Denmark. METHODS: Data on perceived work pace, physical work demands, and occupational accidents was acquired from questionnaires sent to ageing construction workers in Denmark in 2016 as part of the ALFA project (ALdring og Fysisk Arbejde; Ageing and Physical Work). A sample of 1270 Danish male construction workers above 50 years of age was included in the present study. Multiple logistic regression models were applied, with adjustments for age, smoking, body mass index, musculoskeletal disorders, occupation, work experience, and support at work. RESULTS: Of 1270 construction workers, 166 (13.1%) reported an occupational accident within the last 12 months. There was no significant association between perceived work pace and occupational accidents, but physical work demands were associated with higher odds for occupational accidents, with an odds ratio of 2.27 (95% confidence interval 1.26–4.10) for medium physical work demands and 2.62 (95% confidence interval 1.50–4.57) for high physical work demands. CONCLUSIONS: Ageing male construction workers with high physical work demands had statistically significant higher odds of having an occupational accident. By contrast, perceived work pace was not associated with occupational accidents in this large cross-sectional study. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12889-021-12461-6