The headlines in January were based on findings from
the ISAAC, a worldwide epidemiological research programme
that was set up in 1991 to investigate three
allergy-related conditions [asthma, rhinoconjunctivitis
(rhinitis) and eczema] in children and adolescents due
to concerns that these conditions were increasing
worldwide. This is a multicentre, multiphase, international
cross-sectional study and in this part of the
study (Phase 3), researchers were looking at associations
between food intake over the previous year and
symptoms of either asthma (wheeze), eczema or rhinoconjunctivitis
(an allergic condition characterised by a
runny or blocked nose and itchy and watery eyes) in a
large sample of children aged 6–7 and 13–14 years at
the time of the study