[Reporting a cluster of lymphohaematopoietic cancers and management of the communication process with the community: the experience of a Local health Authority in Tuscany, Italy].

In 2008, some general practitioners (GPs) in the area of Empoli (Tuscany Region, Central Italy), reported to the Local Health Authority (LHA), an unusually high frequency of leukemia deaths among their patients residing in a one of the municipalities of the area. The LHA decided to carry out an epidemiological investigation. An interdepartmental working group was set up, led by the Department of Prevention of the LHA, and made up of representatives of the Institute for Study, Prevention and Cancer Network (ISPRO, Florence), the G.

[Italian Society of Hygiene (SItI) recommendations for a healthy, safe and sustainable housing].

As part of the strategies to promote health in urban areas, the Italian Society of Hygiene (SItI) has updated its recommendations for healthy, safe and sustainable housing. They were issued by an ad hoc SitI working group on the basis of the best available evidence retrieved from a review of the scientific and legal literature on the topic and in line with World Health Organisation, European Union, and other international bodies statements. SItI document includes recommendations for environmental comfort, mental and social wellbeing, environmental protection as well as the safety of people who dwell houses.

[Definition and adoption of a building code based on biological and ecological sustainability in the Local Health Authority 11 of Empoli (Tuscany Region, Central Italy): strengths and areas for improvement].

Built environment is an important social determinant of health, but nowadays local health authorities (LHAs) have lost their competences in the issuing of building permits, especially since a new legislation introduced the possibility of personal declaration of conformity. They are also usually excluded from the urban planning process. At the same time, in recent years construction of buildings has been developed with insufficient regard to environmental health requirements, proper exposure to sunlight and winds, comfort, building materials, consumption of resources, and waste production.

Smoke-Free Homes and Youth Smoking Behavior in Italy: Findings From the SIDRIAT Longitudinal Study.

Introduction: Few studies have explored whether smoke-free homes (SFH) can promote reductions of smoking onset in children, particularly in households with smoking parents. The aim of this study was to determine whether youths living in SFH were less likely to progress to smoking.

Methods: We conducted a longitudinal, 11-year, two-wave study on 778 children aged 6-7 years and 985 adolescents aged 13-14 in 2002.

Impact of National Smoke-Free Legislation on Educational Disparities in Smoke-Free Homes: Findings from the SIDRIAT Longitudinal Study.

Families with lower socioeconomic status are less likely to adopt household smoking bans (HSB). The aim of this study was to determine whether socioeconomic disparities in HSB prevalence in Italy decreased 7-9 years after the introduction of the Italian ban on smoking in public places. A longitudinal, 12-year, two-wave study was conducted on a sample of 3091 youths aged 6-14 years in 2002; 1763 (57%) were re-interviewed in 2012-2014.

[Sustainability and hygiene of building: future perspectives].

Objectives: Multiple factors influence individuals' health status. Their impact is difficult to quantify as it is their interaction. Aim of the current work is to develop guidelines to support designers to promote health in the residential environment and to apply them through an evaluation system to certify the level of health performance.

Effects of pet exposure in the first year of life on respiratory and allergic symptoms in 7-yr-old children. The SIDRIA-2 study.

The effects of pet exposure on the development of respiratory symptoms have recently been the matter of vivid discussion. Our objective was to determine the effects of exposure to cat or dog in the first year of life on subsequent respiratory/allergic symptoms in children in a large Italian multicentre study. As part of the SIDRIA-2 Study (Studi Italiani sui Disturbi Respiratori dell'Infanzia e l'Ambiente 2002), the parents of 20016 children (median age 7 yr) provided information on indoor exposures at different times in life and respiratory/allergic symptoms through questionnaires.

Changes in prevalence of asthma and allergies among children and adolescents in Italy: 1994-2002.

Background: Several studies conducted during the 1990s indicated an increase in the prevalence of symptoms of asthma; more recent investigations suggest that the trend is stabilizing or may even be reversing.

Objective: We compared 2 cross-sectional surveys conducted in 1994 and 2002 in 8 areas in northern and central Italy, to evaluate prevalence changes for asthma, allergic rhinitis, and eczema.

Methods: The International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood methods and questionnaires were used to investigate 6- to 7-year-old children (16,115 and 11,287 questionnaires completed by parents in 1994-1995 and 2002, respectively) and 13- to 14-year-old adolescents (19,723 and 10,267 questionnaires completed by adolescents in 1994-1995 and 2002, respectively).

[Changes in social characteristics and risk factors for asthma and allergies among children and adolescents in Italy].

One of the main objectives of SIDRIA-2 study was to evaluate the possible changes in the occurrence of social characteristics and risk factors for asthma and allergies in childhood, comparing the data obtained in 2002 to those collected in 1994-1995. A positive change in socio-economic characteristics of the childrens' and adolescents' families was generally observed. The levels of exposure to outdoor (traffic) and indoor (passive smoking) pollutants are still high, although a decreasing trend in parents' smoking habits is evident.

[Effects of indoor exposures on respiratory and allergic disorders].

Several studies have shown that indoor pollution increases the risk for chronic pulmonary diseases and acute respiratory symptoms in children/adolescents. Some associations have been confirmed by studies. Other relations are still unclear, such as those regarding dog and cat ownership.