Study to Examine Why Farm Children Are Healthier Than City Kids

Aug 15, 2013

Study to Examine Why Farm Children Are Healthier Than City Kids

By Amanda Brodhagen, Farms.com

A new study researched childhood exposures with farm environments, to find out why farm kids seem to be healthier compared to their city counterparts.

The American Farm Bureau said the study will examine environments, which promote immunologic safeguards that may limit the severity of certain child allergic diseases including asthma.

The study is to be conducted by the National Farm Medicine Centre in partnership with the Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health. The study involves researching 200 babies in the Marshfield, Wisconsin area over the span of two years. Half of the babies will be born from farm families, while the other half from families living in rural towns but not on farms.

Results from a similar study last year, found that children who grow up on farms, which have regular exposure to elements such as dust, pollen and manure, have stronger immune systems as a result. The same study found farm kids are 30 to 50 percent less likely to develop allergies than children who live in the city.

The $5-million study is being funded by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.

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