Abstract: Zong Wenkai, Yu Meiwen, Sheng Nan, Yao Xu, Gu Heng. Hospital of Dermatology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Nanjing 210042, China Corresponding author: Gu Heng, Email: guheng@aliyun.com 【Abstract】 Objective To investigate the prevalence of atopic dermatitis （AD） among children aged 2 － 6 years in Nanjing city. Methods A questionnaire survey was carried out in children aged 2 － 6 years in 7 main districts of Nanjing City. Results A total of 13 061 children were investigated, among which, 768 were diagnosed as AD, including 410 boys and 358 girls. The prevalence rate of AD was 5.88% （95% CI, 5.48% － 6.28%） in total, 6.16% （95% CI, 5.59% － 6.74%） in boys and 5.59% （95% CI, 5.02% － 6.15%） in girls. Higher prevalence rate of AD was observed in boys compared with girls, and in children whose place of birth was in urban areas compared with those in rural areas. In addition, the prevalence rate of AD increased with age and with the rise in parental educational level. Conclusions Rapid economic development has dramatically changed life habits, dietary structure and residential environment of people, which can influence the prevalence of AD.

Key words: Dermatitis, atopic, Prevalence, Child