Growing up on a farm can prevent asthma and allergies

Since the early 2000s, several studies have shown that asthma and allergy rates are significantly lower among people who grew up on a farm than among those who grew up in urban areas. (Shutterstock)

According to Québec’s public health research centre, the Institut national de santé publique du Québec (INSPQ), the proportion of people suffering from asthma in the province has almost doubled since the early 2000s. It rose from 6.4 per cent to 11 per cent between 2001 and 2017.

The World Health Organization links this increase to urbanization and the lifestyle associated with it.