The study, which looked at 922 children from birth to age five, suggeststhat the maturation of children's immune systems could be affected bycontact with other children and exposure to infection in earlychildhood.
The researchers looked at data on children's wheezing and allergicsymptoms, physician-diagnosed illnesses, exposure to environmentaltobacco smoke, socio-economic status, pet ownership and number ofsiblings, as welll as childcare arrangements.
The age at which children started nursery appeared significant, with a75 per cent reduction in risk of developing a wheeze for children at theage of five who had attended group daycare between the ages of six and12 months, compared witha 35 per cent reduction for those enteringdaycare after 12 months.
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