Sedentary behavior and self-harm in adolescents with asthma, rhinitis and eczema

Abstract

Objective: To investigate the association between allergic diseases and the tendency to self-harm in adolescents, considering the role of sedentary behavior.

Methods: This was a population-based cross-sectional study, carried out in 2022, with 727 adolescents aged 12 to 19 years, from a capital in the Northeast of Brazil. The authors evaluated the association between each allergic disease (asthma, rhinitis and eczema) and self-harm, sedentary behavior and other variables. The authors performed an adjusted analysis of the associations between each allergy disease and the tendency to self-harm and then adjusted to the presence of family members and sedentary behavior.

Results: The prevalence of asthma, rhinitis and eczema were 18.76%, 36.21% and 12.86%, respectively. Sedentary behavior and tendency to self-harm were more frequently reported in asthmatics (PR 2.16; 95% CI: 1.55 - 3.00 and PR 1.98; 95% CI: 1.47 - 2.68, for sedentary behavior and self-harm respectively), rhinitis (PR 1.53; 95% CI: 1.25 - 1.88 and PR 1.33; 95% CI: 1.09 - 1.62, respectively) and eczema (PR 2.35; 95% CI: 1.54 - 3.58 and PR 1.55; 95% CI: 1.05 - 2.28, respectively). There was a reduction in the strength of this association in the three conditions, which included a loss of association.

Conclusion: High rates of sedentary behavior and self-harm in those with asthma, rhinitis and eczema. Physical activity attenuated the risk for self-harm. It warns about the urgency in detecting these factors, whether in the diagnosis or in the implementation of therapy, seeking to reduce their harmful consequences in the short and long term.

Keywords: Adolescents; Asthma; Eczema; Rhinitis; Sedentary behavior; Self-injurious behavior.