Increased disinfectant use among adults with asthma in the era of COVID-19

[...]research from occupational studies suggests that exposures to cleaning/disinfecting agents may be associated with an inflammatory response and airway remodeling and may lead to sensitizer-induced asthma through IgE and non-IgE pathways as well as irritant-induced asthma.4 Weekly use of spray cleaning products was associated with asthma5,6 and decreased lung function in adults.7 For women who reported use of bleach 4 to 7 times per week, the odds of asthma increased compared with those who never used bleach.8 Although cleaning and disinfecting products are known asthma triggers, the extent to which adults with asthma are impacted when use is increased during the COVID-19 pandemic is unknown. Large city or suburb 491 61.76 Small city, town, or rural area 304 38.24 Rent or own: home ownership Rent 252 31.74 Own 431 54.28 Live with family/friends 97 12.22 Other 14 1.76 Type of current home Single family house 505 63.52 Apartment 206 25.91 Townhouse 53 6.67 Mobile home 4 0.50 Other 27 3.40 Asthma Control Test score 19 or less 316 39.95 20 or higher 475 60.05 Table E1 Sample characteristics Variable Disinfectant wipes Disinfectant sprays Disinfectant water and bleach Other liquids Age (y) (mean, SD) 18-29 36.77∗ 35.48∗ 16.13 28.39∗ 30-39 38.31 39.80 19.90 38.81 40-49 56.44 44.79 26.38 49.69 50-59 41.67 36.11 22.22 38.89 60+ 35.9 26.28 14.10 32.69 Highest level of education High school or less 68.57∗ 64.29∗ 52.86∗ 62.86∗ Some college or 2-year degree 41.83 39.22 20.92 37.25 4-year college 37.04 32.72 14.81 30.25 Post college or graduate/professional degree 38.65 32.42 15.21 36.66 Gender Male 41.84 34.75 26.95∗ 31.21 Female 41.36 37.24 18.38 39.30 Race/ethnicity White 40.15 34.46∗ 17.54∗ 36.46 Non-white 48.87 47.37 30.08 45.11 Which best describes the area in which you live? Large city or suburb 38.45∗ 32.52∗ 15.54∗ 34.76∗ Small city, town, or rural area 46.80 43.43 26.26 42.76 Home ownership Rent 36.25∗ 38.25∗ 17.53∗ 37.05 Own 41.51 31.60 17.69 36.79 Live with family/friends 56.70 54.64 31.96 43.30 Other 35.71 35.71 28.57 42.86 Type of current home Single family house 44.27 37.02 20.12 37.63 Apartment 35.61 36.59 19.02 37.56 Townhouse 37.74 32.08 15.09 35.85 Mobile home 50.00 50.00 0 0 Other 44.44 37.04 25.93 51.85 Asthma Control Test score 19 or less 51.76∗ 45.05∗ 27.48∗ 46.33∗ 20 or higher 34.75 30.70 14.29 31.98 Table E2 Association of participant characteristics with household disinfectant use ≥5 time per week since COVID-19