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Abstract: Few studies have investigated how children use their sense of smell in the varied contexts of their everyday life. In the present study, we used the Children’s Olfactory Behaviors in Everyday Life questionnaire (COBEL) to investigate developmental and inter-individual differences in attention and reactivity to odors. A total of 130 children (half males; grades 2, 4, and 5) from two European cities (Helsinki, Finland and Dijon, France) took part. Each answered either the French or the Finnish versions of the COBEL questionnaire and performed a cued identification test involving 12 common odorants. We assessed the effect of country, gender, and age on both reported olfactory behavior (total score and separate item scores of the COBEL) and identification performance. Girls and older children were clearly more oriented towards odors in their everyday behaviors and evinced better identification performance. Finnish children tended to report more attention and reactivity to odors. No differences were found between the identification performances of children from the first and the fourth quartiles of the COBEL score distribution (children classified as being among the least and the most reactive/attentive to odors). The COBEL questionnaire is thus complementary to classical, but less ecological, olfactory tests, and easily usable in different countries. The inter-individual variability highlighted by the COBEL corroborates previous findings and warrants further studies in more contrasted cultural groups.

En France, près d’une personne sur cinq souffre de troubles de l’odorat [1]. Cette prévalence a augmenté depuis l’apparition de la COVID-19 dont la dysosmie est un symptôme très fréquent, et persistant pour un certain nombre de patients [2]. Pourtant, la prise en soin des personnes dysosmiques reste insuffisante. Ici, nous proposons des pistes pour développer les rééducations olfactives basées sur l’exposition répétée aux odeurs, et nous présentons les résultats de plusieurs études ayant pour objectif d’améliorer l’efficacité de ces rééducations.

Abstract: Few studies have investigated how children use their sense of smell in the varied contexts of their everyday life. In the present study, we used the Children’s Olfactory Behaviors in Everyday Life questionnaire (COBEL) to investigate developmental and inter-individual differences in attention and reactivity to odors. A total of 130 children (half males; grades 2, 4, and 5) from two European cities (Helsinki, Finland and Dijon, France) took part. Each answered either the French or the Finnish versions of the COBEL questionnaire and performed a cued identification test involving 12 common odorants. We assessed the effect of country, gender, and age on both reported olfactory behavior (total score and separate item scores of the COBEL) and identification performance. Girls and older children were clearly more oriented towards odors in their everyday behaviors and evinced better identification performance. Finnish children tended to report more attention and reactivity to odors. No differences were found between the identification performances of children from the first and the fourth quartiles of the COBEL score distribution (children classified as being among the least and the most reactive/attentive to odors). The COBEL questionnaire is thus complementary to classical, but less ecological, olfactory tests, and easily usable in different countries. The inter-individual variability highlighted by the COBEL corroborates previous findings and warrants further studies in more contrasted cultural groups.

Près d’un français sur cinq souffre de troubles de l’odorat (TO), ou dysosmie. Cette prévalence a augmenté depuis l’apparition de la COVID-19 dont la dysosmie est un symptôme très fréquent et possiblement persistant. Pourtant, la prise en soin des personnes dysosmiques reste insuffisante. Cet article ouvre des pistes pour développer les rééducations olfactives (RO) sur la base de protocoles déjà éprouvés, mais aussi pour améliorer l’accompagnement des patients dysosmiques. Pour cela, une stratégie de prise en charge pluri-professionnelle est préconisée, alliant l’intervention de scientifiques, de médecins (généralistes, ORL) et de professions paramédicales.