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Amoah AS, McLean E, Price AJ, Amberbir A, Crampin AC. Factors associated with self-reported diagnosed asthma in urban and rural Malawi: Observations from a population-based study of non-communicable diseases. PLOS GLOBAL PUBLIC HEALTH 2024; 4:e0002952. [PMID: 38990860 PMCID: PMC11239063 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgph.0002952] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2023] [Accepted: 06/05/2024] [Indexed: 07/13/2024]
Abstract
The growing burden of asthma in low- and middle-income countries has been linked to urbanisation and lifestyle changes. However, this burden has not been well characterised in adults. Therefore, we investigated the prevalence of self-reported diagnosed asthma and associated factors in urban and rural adults in Malawi, Southern Africa. Within a cross-sectional population-based survey to determine the burden and risk factors for non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in the city of Lilongwe and rural Karonga district, we collected information on self-reported previously diagnosed asthma and asthma-related symptoms using an interviewer-led questionnaire. Other data collected included: demographic characteristics, socioeconomic status indicators, NCD comorbidities, environmental exposures, and anthropometric measurements. We used multivariable logistic regression models to explore factors associated with self-reported asthma adjusting for variables associated with the outcome in univariable analysis. Findings were corrected for multiple comparisons using the Bonferroni method. We analysed data from 30,483 adult participants (54.6% urban,45.4% rural and 61.9% female). A prior asthma diagnosis was reported in 5.1% of urban and 4.5% of rural participants. In urban females, being obese (>30 kg/m2) compared to normal weight (18.5-24.9 kg/m2) was associated with greater odds of asthma (OR = 1.59, 95% CI [1.26-2.01], p<0.001), after adjusting for confounders. We observed associations between previously diagnosed heart disease and asthma in female participants which remained significant in rural females after Bonferroni correction (OR = 2.30,95%CI [1.32-4.02], p = 0.003). Among rural males, current smokers had reduced odds of diagnosed asthma (OR = 0.46,95%CI [0.27-0.79], p = 0.004) compared to those who had never smoked. In Malawi the prevalence of self-reported diagnosed asthma was greatest in females and urban dwellers. Notably, our findings indicate relationships between excess body weight as well as comorbidities and diagnosed asthma in females. Future investigations using longitudinally collected data and clinical measurements of asthma are needed to better understand these associations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abena S. Amoah
- Department of Population Health, Faculty of Epidemiology and Population Health, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom
- Malawi Epidemiology and Intervention Research Unit, Chilumba, Malawi
| | - Estelle McLean
- Department of Population Health, Faculty of Epidemiology and Population Health, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom
- Malawi Epidemiology and Intervention Research Unit, Chilumba, Malawi
| | - Alison J. Price
- Department of Population Health, Faculty of Epidemiology and Population Health, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom
- Malawi Epidemiology and Intervention Research Unit, Chilumba, Malawi
| | | | - Amelia C. Crampin
- Department of Population Health, Faculty of Epidemiology and Population Health, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom
- Malawi Epidemiology and Intervention Research Unit, Chilumba, Malawi
- School of Health and Wellbeing, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, United Kingdom
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Lai PS, Lam NL, Gallery B, Lee AG, Adair-Rohani H, Alexander D, Balakrishnan K, Bisaga I, Chafe ZA, Clasen T, Díaz-Artiga A, Grieshop A, Harrison K, Hartinger SM, Jack D, Kaali S, Lydston M, Mortimer KM, Nicolaou L, Obonyo E, Okello G, Olopade C, Pillarisetti A, Pinto AN, Rosenthal JP, Schluger N, Shi X, Thompson C, Thompson LM, Volckens J, Williams KN, Balmes J, Checkley W, Ozoh OB. Household Air Pollution Interventions to Improve Health in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: An Official American Thoracic Society Research Statement. Am J Respir Crit Care Med 2024; 209:909-927. [PMID: 38619436 DOI: 10.1164/rccm.202402-0398st] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/16/2024] Open
Abstract
Background: An estimated 3 billion people, largely in low- and middle-income countries, rely on unclean fuels for cooking, heating, and lighting to meet household energy needs. The resulting exposure to household air pollution (HAP) is a leading cause of pneumonia, chronic lung disease, and other adverse health effects. In the last decade, randomized controlled trials of clean cooking interventions to reduce HAP have been conducted. We aim to provide guidance on how to interpret the findings of these trials and how they should inform policy makers and practitioners.Methods: We assembled a multidisciplinary working group of international researchers, public health practitioners, and policymakers with expertise in household air pollution from within academia, the American Thoracic Society, funders, nongovernmental organizations, and global organizations, including the World Bank and the World Health Organization. We performed a literature search, convened four sessions via web conference, and developed consensus conclusions and recommendations via the Delphi method.Results: The committee reached consensus on 14 conclusions and recommendations. Although some trials using cleaner-burning biomass stoves or cleaner-cooking fuels have reduced HAP exposure, the committee was divided (with 55% saying no and 45% saying yes) on whether the studied interventions improved measured health outcomes.Conclusions: HAP is associated with adverse health effects in observational studies. However, it remains unclear which household energy interventions reduce exposure, improve health, can be scaled, and are sustainable. Researchers should engage with policy makers and practitioners working to scale cleaner energy solutions to understand and address their information needs.
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Zaniku HR, Connolly E, Aron MB, Matanje BL, Ndambo MK, Complex Talama G, Munyaneza F, Ruderman T, Rylance J, Dullie LW, Lalitha R, Banda NPK, Muula AS. Prevalence and Associated Factors of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Among Adults in Neno District, Malawi: A Cross-Sectional Analytical Study. Int J Chron Obstruct Pulmon Dis 2024; 19:389-401. [PMID: 38343494 PMCID: PMC10854231 DOI: 10.2147/copd.s444378] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2023] [Accepted: 01/20/2024] [Indexed: 02/15/2024] Open
Abstract
Introduction Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) continues to pose a global public health challenge. However, literature is scarce on the burden of COPD in Malawi. We assessed the prevalence and risk factors for COPD among adults in Neno, Malawi. Methodology We conducted a population-based analytical cross-sectional study in Neno District between December 2021 and November 2022. Using a multi-stage sampling technique, we included 525 adults aged≥40 years. All participants underwent spirometry according to the American Thoracic Society (ATS) guidelines and were interviewed using the IMPALA questionnaire. For this study, we utilized the definition of COPD as a post-bronchodilator FEV1/FVC <0.70. We collected data using Kobo collect, exported to Microsoft Excel, and analysed using R software. We used descriptive statistics and logistic regression analysis; a p-value of <0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results Out of 525 participants, 510 participants were included in the final analysis. Fifty-eight percent of the participants were females (n=296), and 62.2% (n=317) were between 40 and 49 years with a median (IQR) age of 46 (40-86). For patient characteristics, 15.1% (n=77) were current smokers, and 4.1% (n=21) had a history of pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB). Cough was the most commonly reported respiratory symptom (n=249, 48.8%). The prevalence of COPD was 10.0% (n=51) and higher (15.0%) among males compared to females (6.4%). Factors significantly associated with COPD were age 60 years and above (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 3.27, 95% CI: 1.48-7.34, p<0.004), ever smoked (aOR = 6.17, 95% CI:1.89-18.7, p<0.002), current smoker (aOR = 17.6, 95% CI: 8.47-38.4, p<0.001), and previous PTB (aOR = 4.42, 95% CI: 1.16-15.5, p<0.023). Conclusion The cross-sectional prevalence of COPD in rural Malawi is high, especially among males. Factors significantly associated were older age (60 years and above), cigarette smoking, and previous PTB. Longitudinal studies are needed to better understand disease etiology and progression in this setting.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haules Robbins Zaniku
- Department of Physiotherapy, Ministry of Health, Neno District Health Office, Neno, Lilongwe, Malawi
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Global and Public Health, Kamuzu University of Health Sciences, Lilongwe, Malawi
| | - Emilia Connolly
- Department of Partnerships and Policy, Partners in Health/Abwenzi Pa Za Umoyo (PIH/APZU), Neno, Lilongwe, Malawi
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH, 45267, USA
- Division of Hospital Medicine, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, 45529, USA
| | - Moses Banda Aron
- Monitoring and Evaluation Department, Partners in Health/Abwenzi Pa Za Umoyo (PIH/APZU), Neno, Lilongwe, Malawi
- Snakebite Envenoming Department, Research Group Snakebite Envenoming, Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Beatrice Lydia Matanje
- Clinical Department, Partners in Health/Abwenzi Pa Za Umoyo (PIH/APZU), Neno, Lilongwe, Malawi
| | - Myness Kasanda Ndambo
- Department of Health Systems and Policy, Training and Research Unit of Excellence (TRUE), Kamuzu University of Health Sciences, Lilongwe, Malawi
| | | | - Fabien Munyaneza
- Research Department, Partners in Health/Abwenzi Pa Za Umoyo (PIH/APZU), Neno, Lilongwe, Malawi
| | - Todd Ruderman
- Clinical Department, Partners in Health/Abwenzi Pa Za Umoyo (PIH/APZU), Neno, Lilongwe, Malawi
| | - Jamie Rylance
- Malawi-Liverpool-Wellcome Trust Clinical Research Programme, Blantyre, Malawi
- Department of Clinical Sciences, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Liverpool, UK
| | - Luckson Wandani Dullie
- Global Leadership Ecosystem, Partners in Health/Abwenzi Pa za Umoyo (PIH/APZU), Neno, Lilongwe, Malawi
| | - Rejani Lalitha
- Pulmonary Division, Department of Medicine, School of Medicine, Makerere University College of Health Sciences, Kampala, Uganda
| | - Ndaziona Peter Kwanjo Banda
- Department of Medicine, School of Medicine and Oral Health, Kamuzu University of Health Sciences, Lilongwe, Malawi
| | - Adamson S Muula
- Community and Environmental Health Department, School of Global and Public Health, Kamuzu University of Health Sciences, Lilongwe, Malawi
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Alemayohu MA, Zanolin ME, Cazzoletti L, Nyasulu P, Garcia-Larsen V. Burden and risk factors of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in Sub-Saharan African countries, 1990-2019: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of disease study 2019. EClinicalMedicine 2023; 64:102215. [PMID: 37799614 PMCID: PMC10550520 DOI: 10.1016/j.eclinm.2023.102215] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/21/2023] [Revised: 08/29/2023] [Accepted: 08/29/2023] [Indexed: 10/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) has experienced a surge of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) over the past two decades. Using data from the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD), in this study we have estimated the burden and attributable risk factors of COPD across SSA countries between 1990 and 2019. Methods COPD burden and its attributable risk factors were estimated using data from the 2019 GBD. Percentage change was estimated to show the trend of COPD estimates from 1990 to 2019. COPD estimates attributable by risk factors were also reported to ascertain the risk factor that brings the greatest burden by sex and locations (at country and regions level). Findings In 2019, all-age prevalent cases of COPD in SSA were estimated to be 10.3 million (95% Uncertainty Intervals (UI) 9.7 million to 10.9 million) showing an increase of 117% compared with the number of all-age COPD cases in 1990. From 1990 to 2019, SSA underwent an increased percentage change in all-age YLDs due to COPD ranging from 41% in Lesotho to 203% in Equatorial Guinea. The largest premature mortality due to COPD was reported from Central SSA accounting for 729 subjects (95% UI, 509-1078). The highest rate of DALYs attributable to COPD was observed in Lesotho. Household air pollution from solid fuel was the primary contributor of the age standardized YLDs, death rate, and DALYs rate per 100,000 population. Interpretation The prevalence of COPD in SSA has had a steady increase over the past three decades and has progressively become a major public health burden across the region. Household air pollution from solid fuel is the primary contributor to COPD related burden, and its percentage contribution showed a similar trend to the reduction of COPD attributed age-standardized DALY rate. The methodological limitations of surveys and datapoints included in the GBD need to be considered when interpreting these associations. Funding There are no specific fundings received for this study. The Global Burden of Disease study was supported by funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mulubirhan Assefa Alemayohu
- Unit of Epidemiology and Medical Statistics, University of Verona, Italy
- School Public Health, Mekelle University, Ethiopia
- Biostatistics and Clinical Epidemiology Unit, Department of Public Health, Experimental and Forensic Medicin, University of Pavia, 27100, Pavia, Italy
| | | | - Lucia Cazzoletti
- Unit of Epidemiology and Medical Statistics, University of Verona, Italy
| | - Peter Nyasulu
- Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Stellenbosch University, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Vanessa Garcia-Larsen
- Department of International Health, The Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, USA
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Saleh S, Sambakunsi H, Makina D, Chinouya M, Kumwenda M, Chirombo J, Semple S, Mortimer K, Rylance J. Personal exposures to fine particulate matter and carbon monoxide in relation to cooking activities in rural Malawi. Wellcome Open Res 2023; 7:251. [PMID: 36874568 PMCID: PMC9975423 DOI: 10.12688/wellcomeopenres.18050.2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 02/13/2023] [Indexed: 02/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Background: Air pollution is a major environmental risk factor for cardiorespiratory disease. Exposures to household air pollution from cooking and other activities, are particularly high in Southern Africa. Following an extended period of participant observation in a village in Malawi, we aimed to assess individuals' exposures to fine particulate matter (PM 2.5) and carbon monoxide (CO) and to investigate the different sources of exposure, including different cooking methods. Methods: Adult residents of a village in Malawi wore personal PM 2.5 and CO monitors for 24-48 hours, sampling every 1 (CO) or 2 minutes (PM 2.5). Subsequent in-person interviews recorded potential exposure details over the time periods. We present means and interquartile ranges for overall exposures and summaries stratified by time and activity (exposure). We employed multivariate regression to further explore these characteristics, and Spearman rank correlation to examine the relationship between paired PM 2.5 and CO exposures. Results : Twenty participants (17 female; median age 40 years, IQR: 37-56) provided 831 hours of paired PM 2.5 and CO data. Concentrations of PM 2.5 during combustion activity, usually cooking, far exceeded background levels (no combustion activity): 97.9μg/m 3 (IQR: 22.9-482.0), vs 7.6μg/m 3, IQR: 2.5-20.6 respectively. Background PM 2.5 concentrations were higher during daytime hours (11.7μg/m 3 [IQR: 5.2-30.0] vs 3.3μg/m 3 at night [IQR: 0.7-8.2]). Highest exposures were influenced by cooking location but associated with charcoal use (for CO) and firewood on a three-stone fire (for PM 2.5). Cooking-related exposures were higher in more ventilated places, such as outside the household or on a walled veranda, than during indoor cooking. Conclusions : The study demonstrates the value of combining personal PM 2.5 exposure data with detailed contextual information for providing deeper insights into pollution sources and influences. The finding of similar/lower exposures during cooking in seemingly less-ventilated places should prompt a re-evaluation of proposed clean air interventions in these settings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sepeedeh Saleh
- Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, LIVERPOOL, L3 5QA, UK
- Malawi Liverpool Wellcome Trust Clinical Research Programme, Blantyre, P.O. Box 30096, Malawi
| | - Henry Sambakunsi
- Malawi Liverpool Wellcome Trust Clinical Research Programme, Blantyre, P.O. Box 30096, Malawi
| | - Debora Makina
- Malawi Liverpool Wellcome Trust Clinical Research Programme, Blantyre, P.O. Box 30096, Malawi
| | - Martha Chinouya
- Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, LIVERPOOL, L3 5QA, UK
| | - Moses Kumwenda
- Malawi Liverpool Wellcome Trust Clinical Research Programme, Blantyre, P.O. Box 30096, Malawi
| | - James Chirombo
- Malawi Liverpool Wellcome Trust Clinical Research Programme, Blantyre, P.O. Box 30096, Malawi
| | - Sean Semple
- University of Stirling, Stirling, FK9 4LA, UK
| | - Kevin Mortimer
- Department of Medicine, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Jamie Rylance
- Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, LIVERPOOL, L3 5QA, UK
- Malawi Liverpool Wellcome Trust Clinical Research Programme, Blantyre, P.O. Box 30096, Malawi
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Saleh S, Sambakunsi H, Makina D, Chinouya M, Kumwenda M, Chirombo J, Semple S, Mortimer K, Rylance J. Personal exposures to fine particulate matter and carbon monoxide in relation to cooking activities in rural Malawi. Wellcome Open Res 2022; 7:251. [PMID: 36874568 PMCID: PMC9975423 DOI: 10.12688/wellcomeopenres.18050.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 08/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Background: Air pollution is a major environmental risk factor for cardiorespiratory disease. Exposures to household air pollution from cooking and other activities, are particularly high in Southern Africa. Following an extended period of participant observation in a village in Malawi, we aimed to assess individuals' exposures to fine particulate matter (PM 2.5) and carbon monoxide (CO) and to investigate the different sources of exposure, including different cooking methods. Methods: Adult residents of a village in Malawi wore personal PM 2.5 and CO monitors for 24-48 hours, sampling every 1 (CO) or 2 minutes (PM 2.5). Subsequent in-person interviews recorded potential exposure details over the time periods. We present means and interquartile ranges for overall exposures and summaries stratified by time and activity (exposure). We employed multivariate regression to further explore these characteristics, and Spearman rank correlation to examine the relationship between paired PM 2.5 and CO exposures. Results : Twenty participants (17 female; median age 40 years, IQR: 37-56) provided 831 hours of paired PM 2.5 and CO data. Concentrations of PM 2.5 during combustion activity, usually cooking, far exceeded background levels (no combustion activity): 97.9μg/m 3 (IQR: 22.9-482.0), vs 7.6μg/m 3, IQR: 2.5-20.6 respectively. Background PM 2.5 concentrations were higher during daytime hours (11.7μg/m 3 [IQR: 5.2-30.0] vs 3.3μg/m 3 at night [IQR: 0.7-8.2]). Highest exposures were influenced by cooking location but associated with charcoal use (for CO) and firewood on a three-stone fire (for PM 2.5). Cooking-related exposures were higher in more ventilated places, such as outside the household or on a walled veranda, than during indoor cooking. Conclusions : The study demonstrates the value of combining personal PM 2.5 exposure data with detailed contextual information for providing deeper insights into pollution sources and influences. The finding of similar/lower exposures during cooking in seemingly less-ventilated places should prompt a re-evaluation of proposed clean air interventions in these settings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sepeedeh Saleh
- Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, LIVERPOOL, L3 5QA, UK
- Malawi Liverpool Wellcome Trust Clinical Research Programme, Blantyre, P.O. Box 30096, Malawi
| | - Henry Sambakunsi
- Malawi Liverpool Wellcome Trust Clinical Research Programme, Blantyre, P.O. Box 30096, Malawi
| | - Debora Makina
- Malawi Liverpool Wellcome Trust Clinical Research Programme, Blantyre, P.O. Box 30096, Malawi
| | - Martha Chinouya
- Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, LIVERPOOL, L3 5QA, UK
| | - Moses Kumwenda
- Malawi Liverpool Wellcome Trust Clinical Research Programme, Blantyre, P.O. Box 30096, Malawi
| | - James Chirombo
- Malawi Liverpool Wellcome Trust Clinical Research Programme, Blantyre, P.O. Box 30096, Malawi
| | - Sean Semple
- University of Stirling, Stirling, FK9 4LA, UK
| | - Kevin Mortimer
- Department of Medicine, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Jamie Rylance
- Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, LIVERPOOL, L3 5QA, UK
- Malawi Liverpool Wellcome Trust Clinical Research Programme, Blantyre, P.O. Box 30096, Malawi
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Mwakilama E, Mboma A, Kafumba-Ngongondo J. COVID-19, the environment and animal life in Malawi compared to other countries: A brief scooping review for a research agenda in the developing countries. PHYSICS AND CHEMISTRY OF THE EARTH (2002) 2022; 127:103197. [PMID: 35818391 PMCID: PMC9259188 DOI: 10.1016/j.pce.2022.103197] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2022] [Revised: 05/27/2022] [Accepted: 06/30/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
The impact of COVID-19 on the human population in Malawi has been documented. However, its impact on the animal population and the environment has not been thoroughly researched. Because of the well-known inter-relationship between human and animal populations and the environment, a study based on a brief scooping review of previous related studies, media and survey reports, was conducted. The findings reveal that except for a few selected studies, the research gap on COVID-19's impact on the environment and animals in Malawi is wide compared to other countries. Nonetheless, from the few identified related studies, this study has revealed that as the restriction of movement and closure of borders disrupted the supply chain of forest resources in the country, the COVID-19 pandemic has led to increased pressure on forests as a coping strategy due to significant loss of jobs in the informal sector. Although the quality of water and air improved in most parts of the globe due to reduced human activity, there is no substantial literature on the same in Malawi partly due to ineffective monitoring systems. However, COVID-19 has exposed the deficiencies in water security in Malawi, thereby creating opportunities to address them. Conversely, increased demand for water at household levels due to restricted movements contributed to environmental pollution at suburb levels. In particular, the less developed and overpopulated countries suffered from land pollution due to poor disposal of plastic generated from hospitals and personal protection equipment. Elsewhere, studies show that minimal human interference with animals outside homes resulted in an increase of fish and bird biomasses. But, unemployment rates caused by the pandemic have seriously contributed to illegal poaching in developing countries. Therefore, a rapid assessment of the impact of the pandemic on environment in Malawi, to generate the evidence needed for policy makers to use in support of the affected and also plan for the recovery and sustainability of wildlife, is recommended.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elias Mwakilama
- Pan African University Institute for Basic Sciences Technology and Innovation (PAUSTI), Nairobi, Kenya
- Department of Mathematical Sciences, University of Malawi, Zomba, Malawi
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Lim S, Bassey E, Bos B, Makacha L, Varaden D, Arku RE, Baumgartner J, Brauer M, Ezzati M, Kelly FJ, Barratt B. Comparing human exposure to fine particulate matter in low and high-income countries: A systematic review of studies measuring personal PM 2.5 exposure. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2022; 833:155207. [PMID: 35421472 PMCID: PMC7615091 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.155207] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2022] [Revised: 04/02/2022] [Accepted: 04/08/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Due to the adverse health effects of air pollution, researchers have advocated for personal exposure measurements whereby individuals carry portable monitors in order to better characterise and understand the sources of people's pollution exposure. OBJECTIVES The aim of this systematic review is to assess the differences in the magnitude and sources of personal PM2.5 exposures experienced between countries at contrasting levels of income. METHODS This review summarised studies that measured participants personal exposure by carrying a PM2.5 monitor throughout their typical day. Personal PM2.5 exposures were summarised to indicate the distribution of exposures measured within each country income category (based on low (LIC), lower-middle (LMIC), upper-middle (UMIC), and high (HIC) income countries) and between different groups (i.e. gender, age, urban or rural residents). RESULTS From the 2259 search results, there were 140 studies that met our criteria. Overall, personal PM2.5 exposures in HICs were lower compared to other countries, with UMICs exposures being slightly lower than exposures measured in LMICs or LICs. 34% of measured groups in HICs reported below the ambient World Health Organisation 24-h PM2.5 guideline of 15 μg/m3, compared to only 1% of UMICs and 0% of LMICs and LICs. There was no difference between rural and urban participant exposures in HICs, but there were noticeably higher exposures recorded in rural areas compared to urban areas in non-HICs, due to significant household sources of PM2.5 in rural locations. In HICs, studies reported that secondhand smoke, ambient pollution infiltrating indoors, and traffic emissions were the dominant contributors to personal exposures. While, in non-HICs, household cooking and heating with biomass and coal were reported as the most important sources. CONCLUSION This review revealed a growing literature of personal PM2.5 exposure studies, which highlighted a large variability in exposures recorded and severe inequalities in geographical and social population subgroups.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shanon Lim
- MRC Centre for Environment and Health, Imperial College London, UK.
| | - Eridiong Bassey
- MRC Centre for Environment and Health, Imperial College London, UK
| | - Brendan Bos
- MRC Centre for Environment and Health, Imperial College London, UK
| | - Liberty Makacha
- MRC Centre for Environment and Health, Imperial College London, UK; Place Alert Labs, Department of Surveying and Geomatics, Faculty of Science and Technology, Midlands State University, Zimbabwe; Department of Women and Children's Health, School of Life Course Sciences, Faculty of Life Sciences and Medicine, King's College London, UK
| | - Diana Varaden
- MRC Centre for Environment and Health, Imperial College London, UK; NIHR-HPRU Environmental Exposures and Health, School of Public Health, Imperial College London, UK
| | - Raphael E Arku
- Department of Environmental Health Sciences, School of Public Health and Health Sciences, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, USA
| | - Jill Baumgartner
- Institute for Health and Social Policy, and Department of Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Occupational Health, McGill University, Montreal, Canada
| | - Michael Brauer
- School of Population and Public Health, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada; Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, University of Washington, Seattle, USA
| | - Majid Ezzati
- MRC Centre for Environment and Health, Imperial College London, UK; Abdul Latif Jameel Institute for Disease and Emergency Analytics, Imperial College London, UK; Regional Institute for Population Studies, University of Ghana, Legon, Ghana
| | - Frank J Kelly
- MRC Centre for Environment and Health, Imperial College London, UK; NIHR-HPRU Environmental Exposures and Health, School of Public Health, Imperial College London, UK
| | - Benjamin Barratt
- MRC Centre for Environment and Health, Imperial College London, UK; NIHR-HPRU Environmental Exposures and Health, School of Public Health, Imperial College London, UK
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Glenn BE, Espira LM, Larson MC, Larson PS. Ambient air pollution and non-communicable respiratory illness in sub-Saharan Africa: a systematic review of the literature. Environ Health 2022; 21:40. [PMID: 35422005 PMCID: PMC9009030 DOI: 10.1186/s12940-022-00852-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/21/2021] [Accepted: 04/04/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Aerosol pollutants are known to raise the risk of development of non-communicable respiratory diseases (NCRDs) such as asthma, chronic bronchitis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and allergic rhinitis. Sub-Saharan Africa's rapid pace of urbanization, economic expansion, and population growth raise concerns of increasing incidence of NCRDs. This research characterizes the state of research on pollution and NCRDs in the 46 countries of Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). This research systematically reviewed the literature on studies of asthma; chronic bronchitis; allergic rhinitis; and air pollutants such as particulate matter, ozone, NOx, and sulfuric oxide. METHODS We searched three major databases (PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus) using the key words "asthma", "chronic bronchitis", "allergic rhinitis", and "COPD" with "carbon monoxide (CO)", "sulfuric oxide (SO)", "ozone (O3)", "nitrogen dioxide (NO2)", and "particulate matter (PM)", restricting the search to the 46 countries that comprise SSA. Only papers published in scholarly journals with a defined health outcome in individuals and which tested associations with explicitly measured or modelled air exposures were considered for inclusion. All candidate papers were entered into a database for review. RESULTS We found a total of 362 unique research papers in the initial search of the three databases. Among these, 14 met the inclusion criteria. These papers comprised studies from just five countries. Nine papers were from South Africa; two from Malawi; and one each from Ghana, Namibia, and Nigeria. Most studies were cross-sectional. Exposures to ambient air pollutants were measured using spectrometry and chromatography. Some studies created composite measures of air pollution using a range of data layers. NCRD outcomes were measured by self-reported health status and measures of lung function (spirometry). Populations of interest were primarily schoolchildren, though a few studies focused on secondary school students and adults. CONCLUSIONS The paucity of research on NCRDs and ambient air pollutant exposures is pronounced within the African continent. While capacity to measure air quality in SSA is high, studies targeting NCRDs should work to draw attention to questions of outdoor air pollution and health. As the climate changes and SSA economies expand and countries urbanize, these questions will become increasingly important.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bailey E. Glenn
- Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, School of Public Health and Health Sciences, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, MA USA
| | - Leon M. Espira
- Center for Global Health Equity, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, USA
| | | | - Peter S. Larson
- Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, School of Public Health and Health Sciences, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, MA USA
- Social Environment and Health Program, Survey Research Center, Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI USA
- Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI USA
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10
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Chen L, Wang X, Qian ZM, Sun L, Qin L, Wang C, Howard SW, Aaron HE, Lin H. Ambient gaseous pollutants and emergency ambulance calls for all-cause and cause-specific diseases in China: a multicity time-series study. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2022; 29:28527-28537. [PMID: 34988821 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-021-18337-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2021] [Accepted: 12/21/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Much attention has been paid to the health effects of ambient particulate matter pollution; the effects of gaseous air pollutants have not been well studied. Emergency ambulance calls (EACs) may provide a better indicator of the acute health effects than the widely used health indicators, such as mortality and hospital admission. We estimated the short-term associations between gaseous air pollutants [nitrogen dioxide (NO2), sulfur dioxide (SO2), and ozone (O3)] and EACs for all-cause, cardiovascular, and respiratory diseases in seven Chinese cities from 2014 to 2019. We used generalized additive models and random-effects meta-analysis to examine the city-specific and pooled associations. Stratified analyses were conducted by age, sex, and season. A total of 1,626,017 EACs were observed for all-cause EACs, including 230,537 from cardiovascular diseases, and 96,483 from respiratory diseases. Statistically significant associations were observed between NO2 and EACs for all-cause diseases, while the effects of SO2 were positive, but not statistically significant in most models. No significant relationship was found between O3 and EACs. Specifically, each 10 μg/m3 increase in the 2-day moving average concentration of NO2 was associated with a 1.07% [95% confidence interval (CI): 0.40%, 1.76%], 0.76% (95% CI: 0.19%, 1.34%) and 0.06% (95% CI: -1.57%, 1.73%) increase in EACs due to all-cause, cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, respectively. Stratified analysis showed a larger effect of NO2 on all-cause EACs in the cold season [excess relative risk (ERR): 0.33% (95% CI: 0.05%, 0.60%) for warm season, ERR: 0.77% (95% CI: 0.31%, 1.23%) for cold season]. Our study indicates that acute exposures to NO2 might be an important trigger of the emergent occurrence of all-cause, cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, and this effect should be of particular concern in the cold season. Further policy development for controlling gaseous air pollution is warranted to reduce the emergent occurrence of cardiopulmonary diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lan Chen
- Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510080, China
| | - Xiaojie Wang
- Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510080, China
| | - Zhengmin Min Qian
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, College for Public Health and Social Justice, Saint Louis University, Saint Louis, MO, 63104, USA
| | - Liwen Sun
- Huairou District Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing, 101400, China
| | - Lijie Qin
- Henan Provincial People's Hospital, People's Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, 450052, China
| | - Chongjian Wang
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, College of Public Health, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, 450001, China
| | - Steven W Howard
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, College for Public Health and Social Justice, Saint Louis University, Saint Louis, MO, 63104, USA
| | - Hannah E Aaron
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, College for Public Health and Social Justice, Saint Louis University, Saint Louis, MO, 63104, USA
| | - Hualiang Lin
- Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510080, China.
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11
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Mortimer K, Montes de Oca M, Salvi S, Balakrishnan K, Hadfield RM, Ramirez-Venegas A, Halpin DMG, Ozoh Obianuju B, Han MeiLan K, Perez Padilla R, Kirenga B, Balmes JR. Household air pollution and COPD: cause and effect or confounding by other aspects of poverty? Int J Tuberc Lung Dis 2022; 26:206-216. [PMID: 35197160 PMCID: PMC8886958 DOI: 10.5588/ijtld.21.0570] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
SETTING : Household air pollution (HAP) and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are both major public health problems, reported to cause around 4 million and 3 million deaths every year, respectively. The great majority of these deaths, as well as the burden of disease during life is felt by people in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). OBJECTIVE AND DESIGN : The extent to which HAP causes COPD is controversial; we therefore undertook this review to offer a viewpoint on this from the Global Initiative for COPD (GOLD). RESULTS : We find that while COPD is well-defined in many studies on COPD and HAP, there are major limitations to the definition and measurement of HAP. It is thus difficult to disentangle HAP from other features of poverty that are themselves associated with COPD. We identify other limitations to primary research studies, including the use of cross-sectional designs that limit causal inference. CONCLUSION : There is substantial preventable morbidity and mortality associated with HAP, COPD and poverty, separately and together. Although it may not be possible to define clear causal links between HAP and COPD, there is a clear urgency to reduce the avoidable burden of disease these inflict on the world’s poor.
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Affiliation(s)
- K Mortimer
- University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK, Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Liverpool, UK
| | - M Montes de Oca
- Hospital Universitario de Caracas Universidad Central de Venezuela and Centro Médico de Caracas, Caracas, Venezuela
| | - S Salvi
- Pulmocare Research and Education (PURE) Foundation, Pune, India
| | | | - R M Hadfield
- Australian Institute for Health Innovation, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - A Ramirez-Venegas
- Departamento de Investigación en Tabaquismo y EPOC, Instituto Nacional de Enfermedades Respiratorias, Mexico
| | - D M G Halpin
- College of Medicine and Health, University of Exeter Medical School, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK
| | - B Ozoh Obianuju
- Department of Medicine, College of Medicine, University of Lagos, Lagos, Nigeria
| | | | - R Perez Padilla
- Departamento de Investigación en Tabaquismo y EPOC, Instituto Nacional de Enfermedades Respiratorias, Mexico
| | - B Kirenga
- Makerere University Lung Institute, Kampala, Uganda
| | - J R Balmes
- Department of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco and Division of Environmental Health Sciences, School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA
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12
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BICKTON FANUELMECKSON, Mankhokwe T, Mitengo M, Limbani F, Shannon H, Rylance J, Chisati E. “My life is not going to be the same, my health is going to improve”: a cross-sectional qualitative study of patients’ experiences of living with chronic respiratory symptoms and their views on a proposed pulmonary rehabilitation program at Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital, Blantyre, Malawi. Wellcome Open Res 2022. [DOI: 10.12688/wellcomeopenres.17702.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Background: Malawi’s population has a substantial burden of chronic respiratory symptoms. Elsewhere, patients with these symptoms have benefited from pulmonary rehabilitation (PR), a program of exercise training, education, and behaviour management. Practically, PR in Malawi may not be delivered in the same format as elsewhere due to substantial contextual differences. These differences necessitate adaptation of the intervention to Malawi’s setting to be acceptable and effective. This study explored patients’ experiences of living with chronic respiratory symptoms and their views on a proposed PR program at Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital, Blantyre, Malawi, to inform the design of an individualized and culturally adapted PR program. Methods: This was a cross-sectional qualitative study. Face-to-face, one-to-one semi-structured in-depth interviews were undertaken to data saturation. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim, and Chichewa transcripts were translated into English. The transcripts were anonymized and thematically analysed using an inductive approach. Results: We recruited 10 patients (five males and five females) with functionally limiting chronic respiratory symptoms, with documented causes including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, asthma, post-tuberculosis lung disease, and bronchiectasis. Symptoms most frequently included dyspnoea, with associated functional limitations including the reduced performance of activities of daily living. Participants’ coping strategies most frequently included the use of inhalers. Participants were motivated to undertake the PR program owing to its anticipated benefits including improved health. They perceived transport costs and competing commitments as barriers to participation. The participant group gender mix and public nature of the program were considered socio-culturally sensitive by some participants. Conclusions: The functionally limiting dyspnoea most frequently experienced by the study participants would be amenable to a PR program. To ensure participation by eligible patients, pre-program assessments should consider patient access to transport, suitability of the timing for the program’s sessions, and patient views on organizational aspects of the program considered social-culturally sensitive.
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13
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Larson PS, Espira L, Glenn BE, Larson MC, Crowe CS, Jang S, O’Neill MS. Long-Term PM 2.5 Exposure Is Associated with Symptoms of Acute Respiratory Infections among Children under Five Years of Age in Kenya, 2014. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2022; 19:ijerph19052525. [PMID: 35270217 PMCID: PMC8909525 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph19052525] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/31/2021] [Revised: 02/10/2022] [Accepted: 02/12/2022] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Introduction: Short-term exposures to air pollutants such as particulate matter (PM) have been associated with increased risk for symptoms of acute respiratory infections (ARIs). Less well understood is how long-term exposures to fine PM (PM2.5) might increase risk of ARIs and their symptoms. This research uses georeferenced Demographic Health Survey (DHS) data from Kenya (2014) along with a remote sensing based raster of PM2.5 concentrations to test associations between PM2.5 exposure and ARI symptoms in children for up to 12 monthly lags. Methods: Predicted PM2.5 concentrations were extracted from raster of monthly averages for latitude/longitude locations of survey clusters. These data and other environmental and demographic data were used in a logistic regression model of ARI symptoms within a distributed lag nonlinear modeling framework (DLNM) to test lag associations of PM2.5 exposure with binary presence/absence of ARI symptoms in the previous two weeks. Results: Out of 7036 children under five for whom data were available, 46.8% reported ARI symptoms in the previous two weeks. Exposure to PM2.5 within the same month and as an average for the previous 12 months was 18.31 and 22.1 µg/m3, respectively, far in excess of guidelines set by the World Health Organization. One-year average PM2.5 exposure was higher for children who experienced ARI symptoms compared with children who did not (22.4 vs. 21.8 µg/m3, p < 0.0001.) Logistic regression models using the DLNM framework indicated that while PM exposure was not significantly associated with ARI symptoms for early lags, exposure to high concentrations of PM2.5 (90th percentile) was associated with elevated odds for ARI symptoms along a gradient of lag exposure time even when controlling for age, sex, types of cooking fuels, and precipitation. Conclusions: Long-term exposure to high concentrations of PM2.5 may increase risk for acute respiratory problems in small children. However, more work should be carried out to increase capacity to accurately measure air pollutants in emerging economies such as Kenya.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peter S. Larson
- Social Environment and Health Program, Survey Research Center, Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48104, USA
- Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48105, USA; (C.S.C.); (M.S.O.)
- Correspondence: (P.S.L.); (L.E.); Tel.: +1-734-730-2372 (P.S.L.)
| | - Leon Espira
- Center for Global Health Equity, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48105, USA
- Correspondence: (P.S.L.); (L.E.); Tel.: +1-734-730-2372 (P.S.L.)
| | - Bailey E. Glenn
- Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, School of Public Health and Health Sciences, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA 01003, USA;
| | | | - Christopher S. Crowe
- Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48105, USA; (C.S.C.); (M.S.O.)
| | - Seoyeon Jang
- Department of Environmental Health Sciences, School of Public Health, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48105, USA;
| | - Marie S. O’Neill
- Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48105, USA; (C.S.C.); (M.S.O.)
- Department of Environmental Health Sciences, School of Public Health, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48105, USA;
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14
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Cao D, Zheng D, Qian ZM, Shen H, Liu Y, Liu Q, Sun J, Zhang S, Jiao G, Yang X, Vaughn MG, Wang C, Zhang X, Lin H. Ambient sulfur dioxide and hospital expenditures and length of hospital stay for respiratory diseases: A multicity study in China. ECOTOXICOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL SAFETY 2022; 229:113082. [PMID: 34929503 DOI: 10.1016/j.ecoenv.2021.113082] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2021] [Revised: 12/03/2021] [Accepted: 12/10/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Ambient sulfur dioxide (SO2) has been associated with morbidity and mortality of respiratory diseases, however, its effect on length of hospital stays (LOS) and cost for these diagnoses remain unclear. METHODS We collected hospital admission information for respiratory diseases from all 11 cities in the Shanxi Province of China during 2017-2019. We assessed individual-level exposure by using an inverse distance weighting approach based on geocoded residential addresses. A generalized additive model was built to delineate city-specific effects of SO2 on hospitalization, hospital expenditure, and length of hospital stay for respiratory diseases. The overall effects were obtained by random-effects meta-analysis. We further estimated the respiratory burden attributable to SO2 by comparing different reference concentrations. RESULTS We observed significant effects of SO2 exposure on respiratory diseases. At the provincial level, each 10 μg/m3 increase in SO2 on lag03 was associated with a 0.63% (95% CI: 0.14-0.11) increase in hospital admission, an increase of 4.56 days (95% CI: 1.16-7.95) of hospital stay, and 3647.97 renminbi (RMB, Chinese money) (95% CI: 1091.05-6204.90) in hospital cost. We estimated about 6.13 (95% CI: 1.33-11.10) thousand hospital admissions, 65.77 million RMB (95% CI: 19.67-111.87) in hospital expenditure, and 82.13 (95% CI: 20.87-143.40) thousand days of hospital stay could have potentially been avoided had the daily SO2 concentrations been reduced to WHO's reference concentration (40 µg/m3). Variable values in correspondence with this reference concentration could reduce the hospital cost and LOS of each case by 52.67 RMB (95% CI: 15.75-89.59) and 0.07 days (95% CI: 0.02-0.117). CONCLUSION This study provides evidence that short-term ambient SO2 exposure is an important risk factor of respiratory diseases, indicating that continually tightening policies to reduce SO2 levels could effectively reduce respiratory disease burden in Shanxi Province.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dawei Cao
- Department of Respiration, Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease Prevention and Control of Shanxi Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, First Hospital of Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, Shanxi, China
| | - Dashan Zheng
- School of Public Health, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510080, Guangdong Province, China
| | - Zhengmin Min Qian
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, College for Public Health & Social Justice, Saint Louis University, 3545 Lafayette Avenue, Saint Louis, MO 63104, USA
| | - Huiqing Shen
- Department of Respiration, Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease Prevention and Control of Shanxi Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, First Hospital of Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, Shanxi, China
| | - Yi Liu
- Department of Respiration, Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease Prevention and Control of Shanxi Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, First Hospital of Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, Shanxi, China
| | - Qiyong Liu
- Key Laboratory of Infectious Disease Prevention and Control, Collaborative Innovation Center for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, National Institute for Communicable Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing, China
| | - Jimin Sun
- Key Laboratory of Vaccine, Prevention and Control of Infectious Disease of Zhejiang Province, Zhejiang Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Shiyu Zhang
- School of Public Health, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510080, Guangdong Province, China
| | - Guangyuan Jiao
- Department of Ideological and Political Education, School of Marxism, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
| | - Xiaoran Yang
- Department of Standards and Evaluation, Beijing Municipal Health Commission Policy Research Center, Beijing Municipal health Commission Information Center, Beijing, China
| | - Michael G Vaughn
- School of Social Work, College for Public Health & Social Justice, Saint Louis University, Tegeler Hall, 3550 Lindell Boulevard, St. Louis, MO 631034, USA
| | - Chongjian Wang
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, College of Public Health, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan, China
| | - Xinri Zhang
- Department of Respiration, Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease Prevention and Control of Shanxi Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, First Hospital of Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, Shanxi, China.
| | - Hualiang Lin
- School of Public Health, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510080, Guangdong Province, China.
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15
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Nightingale R, Chinoko B, Lesosky M, Rylance SJ, Mnesa B, Banda NPK, Joekes E, Squire SB, Mortimer K, Meghji J, Rylance J. Respiratory symptoms and lung function in patients treated for pulmonary tuberculosis in Malawi: a prospective cohort study. Thorax 2021; 77:1131-1139. [PMID: 34937802 PMCID: PMC9606518 DOI: 10.1136/thoraxjnl-2021-217190] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2021] [Accepted: 11/23/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022]
Abstract
Rationale Pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) can cause post-TB lung disease (PTLD) associated with respiratory symptoms, spirometric and radiological abnormalities. Understanding of the predictors and natural history of PTLD is limited. Objectives To describe the symptoms and lung function of Malawian adults up to 3 years following PTB-treatment completion, and to determine the evolution of PTLD over this period. Methods Adults successfully completing PTB treatment in Blantyre, Malawi were followed up for 3 years and assessed using questionnaires, post-bronchodilator spirometry, 6 min walk tests, chest X-ray and high-resolution CT. Predictors of lung function at 3 years were identified by mixed effects regression modelling. Measurement and main results We recruited 405 participants of whom 301 completed 3 years follow-up (mean (SD) age 35 years (10.2); 66.6% males; 60.4% HIV-positive). At 3 years, 59/301 (19.6%) reported respiratory symptoms and 76/272 (27.9%) had abnormal spirometry. The proportions with low FVC fell from 57/285 (20.0%) at TB treatment completion to 33/272 (12.1%), while obstruction increased from and 41/285 (14.4%) to 43/272 (15.8%) at 3 years. Absolute FEV1 and FVC increased by mean 0.03 L and 0.1 L over this period, but FEV1 decline of more than 0.1 L was seen in 73/246 (29.7%). Higher spirometry values at 3 years were associated with higher body mass index and HIV coinfection at TB-treatment completion. Conclusion Spirometric measures improved over the 3 years following treatment, mostly in the first year. However, a third of PTB survivors experienced ongoing respiratory symptoms and abnormal spirometry (with accelerated FEV1 decline). Effective interventions are needed to improve the care of this group of patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rebecca Nightingale
- Department of Clinical Sciences, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Liverpool, UK .,Liverpool Univeristy Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Liverpool, UK.,Malawi Liverpool Wellcome Trust Clinical Research Programme, Blantyre, Malawi
| | - Beatrice Chinoko
- Malawi Liverpool Wellcome Trust Clinical Research Programme, Blantyre, Malawi
| | - Maia Lesosky
- Department of Clinical Sciences, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Liverpool, UK.,Division of Epidemiology & Biostatistics, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch, South Africa
| | - Sarah J Rylance
- Department of Clinical Sciences, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Liverpool, UK.,Malawi Liverpool Wellcome Trust Clinical Research Programme, Blantyre, Malawi
| | - Bright Mnesa
- Malawi Liverpool Wellcome Trust Clinical Research Programme, Blantyre, Malawi
| | | | - Elizabeth Joekes
- Liverpool Univeristy Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Liverpool, UK
| | - Stephen Bertel Squire
- Department of Clinical Sciences, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Liverpool, UK.,Liverpool Univeristy Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Liverpool, UK.,Malawi Liverpool Wellcome Trust Clinical Research Programme, Blantyre, Malawi
| | - Kevin Mortimer
- Department of Clinical Sciences, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Liverpool, UK.,Liverpool Univeristy Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Liverpool, UK
| | - Jamilah Meghji
- Department of Clinical Sciences, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Liverpool, UK.,Malawi Liverpool Wellcome Trust Clinical Research Programme, Blantyre, Malawi
| | - Jamie Rylance
- Department of Clinical Sciences, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Liverpool, UK.,Malawi Liverpool Wellcome Trust Clinical Research Programme, Blantyre, Malawi
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16
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Njoroge MW, Mjojo P, Chirwa C, Rylance S, Nightingale R, Gordon SB, Mortimer K, Burney P, Balmes J, Rylance J, Obasi A, Niessen LW, Devereux G. Changing lung function and associated health-related quality-of-life: A five-year cohort study of Malawian adults. EClinicalMedicine 2021; 41:101166. [PMID: 34712931 PMCID: PMC8529201 DOI: 10.1016/j.eclinm.2021.101166] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2021] [Revised: 10/04/2021] [Accepted: 10/04/2021] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND In Sub-Saharan Africa cross-sectional studies report a high prevalence of abnormal lung function indicative of chronic respiratory disease. The natural history and health impact of this abnormal lung function in low-and middle-income countries is largely unknown. METHODS A cohort of 1481 adults representative of rural Chikwawa in Malawi were recruited in 2014 and followed-up in 2019. Respiratory symptoms and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) were quantified. Lung function was measured by spirometry. FINDINGS 1232 (83%) adults participated; spirometry was available for 1082 (73%). Mean (SD) age 49.5 (17.0) years, 278(23%) had ever smoked, and 724 (59%) were women. Forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) declined by 53.4 ml/year (95% CI: 49.0, 57.8) and forced vital capacity (FVC) by 45.2 ml/year (95% CI: 39.2, 50.5) . Chronic airflow obstruction increased from 9.5% (7.6, 11.6%) in 2014 to 17.5% (15.3, 19.9%) in 2019. There was no change in diagnosed asthma or in spirometry consistent with asthma or restriction. Rate of FEV1 decline was not associated with diagnosed Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), asthma, or spirometry consistent with asthma, COPD, or restriction. HRQoL was adversely associated with respiratory symptoms (dyspnoea, wheeze, cough), previous tuberculosis, declining FEV1 and spirometry consistent with asthma or restriction. These differences exceeded the minimally important difference. INTERPRETATION In this cohort, the increasing prevalence of COPD is associated with the high rate of FEV1 decline and lung function deficits present before recruitment. Respiratory symptoms and sub-optimal lung function are independently associated with reduced HRQoL.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martin W. Njoroge
- Department of Clinical Sciences and International Public Health, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Pembroke Place, Liverpool L3 5QA, UK
- Malawi Liverpool Wellcome Trust Programme, Blantyre, Malawi
- Corresponding author at: Department of Clinical Sciences and International Public Health, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Pembroke Place, Liverpool L3 5QA, UK.
| | - Patrick Mjojo
- Malawi Liverpool Wellcome Trust Programme, Blantyre, Malawi
| | | | - Sarah Rylance
- Department of Clinical Sciences and International Public Health, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Pembroke Place, Liverpool L3 5QA, UK
- Malawi Liverpool Wellcome Trust Programme, Blantyre, Malawi
| | - Rebecca Nightingale
- Department of Clinical Sciences and International Public Health, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Pembroke Place, Liverpool L3 5QA, UK
| | - Stephen B. Gordon
- Department of Clinical Sciences and International Public Health, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Pembroke Place, Liverpool L3 5QA, UK
- Malawi Liverpool Wellcome Trust Programme, Blantyre, Malawi
| | - Kevin Mortimer
- Department of Clinical Sciences and International Public Health, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Pembroke Place, Liverpool L3 5QA, UK
- Liverpool University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, Liverpool, UK
| | - Peter Burney
- National Heart and Lung Institute, Imperial College, London, UK
| | - John Balmes
- University of California, San Francisco, United States of America
- University of California, Berkeley, United States of America
| | - Jamie Rylance
- Department of Clinical Sciences and International Public Health, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Pembroke Place, Liverpool L3 5QA, UK
- Malawi Liverpool Wellcome Trust Programme, Blantyre, Malawi
| | - Angela Obasi
- Department of Clinical Sciences and International Public Health, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Pembroke Place, Liverpool L3 5QA, UK
| | - Louis W. Niessen
- Department of Clinical Sciences and International Public Health, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Pembroke Place, Liverpool L3 5QA, UK
- John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, United States of America
| | - Graham Devereux
- Department of Clinical Sciences and International Public Health, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Pembroke Place, Liverpool L3 5QA, UK
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Saleh S, Sambakunsi H, Mortimer K, Morton B, Kumwenda M, Rylance J, Chinouya M. Exploring smoke: an ethnographic study of air pollution in rural Malawi. BMJ Glob Health 2021; 6:bmjgh-2021-004970. [PMID: 34193474 PMCID: PMC8246283 DOI: 10.1136/bmjgh-2021-004970] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/08/2021] [Accepted: 06/13/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Air pollution adversely affects human health, and the climate crisis intensifies the global imperative for action. Low-/middle-income countries (LMIC) suffer particularly high attributable disease burdens. In rural low-resource settings, these are linked to cooking using biomass. Proposed biomedical solutions to air pollution typically involve ‘improved cooking technologies’, often introduced by high-income country research teams. This ethnography, set in a rural Malawian village, aimed to understand air pollution within its social and environmental context. The results provide a multifaceted account through immersive participant observations with concurrent air quality monitoring, interviews and participatory workshops. Data included quantitative measures of individuals’ air pollution exposures paired with activity, qualitative insights into how smoke is experienced in daily life throughout the village, and participants’ reflections on potential cleaner air solutions. Individual air quality monitoring demonstrated that particulate levels frequently exceeded upper limits recommended by the WHO, even in the absence of identified sources of biomass burning. Ethnographic findings revealed the overwhelming impact of economic scarcity on individual air pollution exposures. Scarcity affected air pollution exposures through three pathways: daily hardship, limitation and precarity. We use the theory of structural violence, as described by Paul Farmer, and the concept of slow violence to interrogate the origins of this scarcity and global inequality. We draw on the ethnographic findings to critically consider sustainable approaches to cleaner air, without re-enacting existing systemic inequities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sepeedeh Saleh
- Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Liverpool, UK .,Malawi-Liverpool-Wellcome Trust Clinical Research Programme, Blantyre, Malawi
| | - Henry Sambakunsi
- Malawi-Liverpool-Wellcome Trust Clinical Research Programme, Blantyre, Malawi
| | | | - Ben Morton
- Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Liverpool, UK.,Malawi-Liverpool-Wellcome Trust Clinical Research Programme, Blantyre, Malawi
| | - Moses Kumwenda
- Malawi-Liverpool-Wellcome Trust Clinical Research Programme, Blantyre, Malawi
| | - Jamie Rylance
- Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Liverpool, UK
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18
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Mabonga F, Beattie TK, Luwe K, Morse T, Hope C, Beverland IJ. Exposure to Air Pollution in Rural Malawi: Impact of Cooking Methods on Blood Pressure and Peak Expiratory Flow. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2021; 18:7680. [PMID: 34300131 PMCID: PMC8307024 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph18147680] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2021] [Revised: 07/09/2021] [Accepted: 07/11/2021] [Indexed: 12/04/2022]
Abstract
We made static and personal PM2.5 measurements with a miniature monitor (RTI MicroPEM) to characterise the exposure of women cooking with wood and charcoal in indoor and outdoor locations in rural Malawi, together with measurements of blood pressure and peak expiratory flow rate (PEFR). Mean PM2.5 concentrations of 1338 and 31 µg/m3 were observed 1 m from cookstove locations during cooking with wood and charcoal, respectively. Similarly, mean personal PM2.5 exposures of 706 and 94 µg/m3 were observed during cooking with wood and charcoal, respectively. Personal exposures to PM2.5 in indoor locations were 3.3 and 1.7 times greater than exposures observed in equivalent outdoor locations for wood and charcoal, respectively. Prior to the measured exposure, six out of eight participants had PEFR observations below 80% of their expected (age and height) standardised PEFR. We observed reductions in PEFR for participants cooking with wood in indoor locations. Five out of eight participants reported breathing difficulties, coughing, and eye irritation when cooking with wood but reported that symptoms were less severe when cooking with charcoal. In conclusion, we observed that exposure to PM2.5 was substantially reduced by cooking outdoor with charcoal. As both wood and charcoal fuels are associated with negative environmental and health impacts, the adoption of high-efficiency cookstoves and less polluting sources of energy will be highly beneficial. Cooking outside whenever possible, and minimising the time spent in close proximity to stoves, may be simple interventions that could reduce the risks of exacerbation and progression of respiratory and cardiovascular diseases in Malawi.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fiona Mabonga
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Strathclyde, James Weir Building, 75 Montrose Street, Glasgow G1 1XJ, UK; (F.M.); (T.K.B.); (T.M.); (C.H.)
| | - Tara K. Beattie
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Strathclyde, James Weir Building, 75 Montrose Street, Glasgow G1 1XJ, UK; (F.M.); (T.K.B.); (T.M.); (C.H.)
| | - Kondwani Luwe
- Centre for Water, Sanitation, Health and Appropriate Technology Development (WASHTED), University of Malawi (Polytechnic), Blantyre 34310, Malawi;
| | - Tracy Morse
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Strathclyde, James Weir Building, 75 Montrose Street, Glasgow G1 1XJ, UK; (F.M.); (T.K.B.); (T.M.); (C.H.)
- Centre for Water, Sanitation, Health and Appropriate Technology Development (WASHTED), University of Malawi (Polytechnic), Blantyre 34310, Malawi;
| | - Caitlin Hope
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Strathclyde, James Weir Building, 75 Montrose Street, Glasgow G1 1XJ, UK; (F.M.); (T.K.B.); (T.M.); (C.H.)
| | - Iain J. Beverland
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Strathclyde, James Weir Building, 75 Montrose Street, Glasgow G1 1XJ, UK; (F.M.); (T.K.B.); (T.M.); (C.H.)
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Cao D, Li D, Wu Y, Qian ZM, Liu Y, Liu Q, Sun J, Guo Y, Zhang S, Jiao G, Yang X, Wang C, McMillin SE, Zhang X, Lin H. Ambient PM 2.5 exposure and hospital cost and length of hospital stay for respiratory diseases in 11 cities in Shanxi Province, China. Thorax 2021; 76:thoraxjnl-2020-215838. [PMID: 34088786 DOI: 10.1136/thoraxjnl-2020-215838] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2020] [Revised: 04/09/2021] [Accepted: 05/04/2021] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Few studies have examined the effects of ambient particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter less than or equal to 2.5 μm (PM2.5) on hospital cost and length of hospital stay for respiratory diseases in China. METHODS We estimated ambient air pollution exposure for respiratory cases through inverse distance-weighted averages of air monitoring stations based on their residential address and averaged at the city level. We used generalised additive models to quantify city-specific associations in 11 cities in Shanxi and a meta-analysis to estimate the overall effects. We further estimated respiratory burden attributable to PM2.5 using the standards of WHO (25 µg/m3) and China (75 µg/m3) as reference. RESULTS Each 10 µg/m3 increase in lag03 PM2.5 corresponded to 0.53% (95% CI: 0.33% to 0.73%) increase in respiratory hospitalisation, an increment of 3.75 thousand RMB (95% CI: 1.84 to 5.670) in hospital cost and 4.13 days (95% CI: 2.51 to 5.75) in length of hospital stay. About 9.7 thousand respiratory hospitalisations, 132 million RMB in hospital cost and 145 thousand days of hospital stay could be attributable to PM2.5 exposures using WHO's guideline as reference. We estimated that 193 RMB (95% CI: 95 to 292) in hospital cost and 0.21 days (95% CI: 0.13 to 0.30) in hospital stay could be potentially avoidable for an average respiratory case. CONCLUSION Significant respiratory burden could be attributable to PM2.5 exposures in Shanxi Province, China. The results need to be factored into impact assessment of air pollution policies to provide a more complete indication of the burden addressed by the policies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dawei Cao
- Department of Respiration, First Hospital of Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, Shanxi, China
| | - Dongyan Li
- Department of Respiration, First Hospital of Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, Shanxi, China
| | - Yinglin Wu
- Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Zhengmin Min Qian
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, College for Public Health and Social Justice, Saint Louis University, Saint Louis, Missouri, USA
| | - Yi Liu
- Department of Respiration, First Hospital of Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, Shanxi, China
| | - Qiyong Liu
- Key Laboratory of Infectious Disease Prevention and Control, Collaborative Innovation Center for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, National Institute for Communicable Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing, China
| | - Jimin Sun
- Key Laboratory of Vaccine, Prevention and Control of Infectious Disease of Zhejiang Province, Zhejiang Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Yuming Guo
- School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Shiyu Zhang
- Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Guangyuan Jiao
- Department of Ideological and Political Education, School of Marxism, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
| | - Xiaoran Yang
- Department of Standards and Evaluation, Beijing Municipal Health Commission Policy Research Center, Beijing Municipal health Commission Information Center, Beijing, China
| | - Chongjian Wang
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, College of Public Health, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan, China
| | - Stephen Edward McMillin
- School of Social Work, College for Public Health and Social Justice, Saint Louis University, Saint Louis, Missouri, USA
| | - Xinri Zhang
- Department of Respiration, First Hospital of Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, Shanxi, China
| | - Hualiang Lin
- Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
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Njoroge MW, Rylance S, Nightingale R, Gordon S, Mortimer K, Burney P, Rylance J, Obasi A, Niessen L, Devereux G. Cohort profile: The Chikwawa lung health cohort; a population-based observational non-communicable respiratory disease study of adults in Malawi. PLoS One 2020; 15:e0242226. [PMID: 33180873 PMCID: PMC7660567 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0242226] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/01/2020] [Accepted: 10/28/2020] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
PURPOSE The aim of this article is to provide a detailed description of the Chikwawa lung health cohort which was established in rural Malawi to prospectively determine the prevalence and causes of lung disease amongst the general population of adults living in a low-income rural setting in Sub-Saharan Africa. PARTICIPANTS A total of 1481 participants were randomly identified and recruited in 2014 for the baseline study. We collected data on demographic, socio-economic status, respiratory symptoms and potentially relevant exposures such as smoking, household fuels, environmental exposures, occupational history/exposures, dietary intake, healthcare utilization, cost (medication, outpatient visits and inpatient admissions) and productivity losses. Spirometry was performed to assess lung function. At baseline, 56.9% of the participants were female, mean age was 43.8 (SD:17.8) and mean body mass index (BMI) was 21.6 Kg/m2 (SD: 3.46). FINDINGS TO DATE The cohort has reported the prevalence of chronic respiratory symptoms (13.6%, 95% confidence interval [CI], 11.9-15.4), spirometric obstruction (8.7%, 95% CI, 7.0-10.7), and spirometric restriction (34.8%, 95% CI, 31.7-38.0). Additionally, an annual decline in forced expiratory volume in one second [FEV1] of 30.9mL/year (95% CI: 21.6 to 40.1) and forced vital capacity [FVC] by 38.3 mL/year (95% CI: 28.5 to 48.1) has been reported. FUTURE PLANS The ongoing phases of follow-up will determine the annual rate of decline in lung function as measured through spirometry and the development of airflow obstruction and restriction, and relate these to morbidity, mortality and economic cost of airflow obstruction and restriction. Population-based mathematical models will be developed driven by the empirical data from the cohort and national population data for Malawi to assess the effects of interventions and programmes to address the lung burden in Malawi. The present follow-up study started in 2019.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martin W. Njoroge
- Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Liverpool, United Kingdom
- Malawi Liverpool Wellcome Trust Programme, Blantyre, Malawi
| | - Sarah Rylance
- Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Liverpool, United Kingdom
- Malawi Liverpool Wellcome Trust Programme, Blantyre, Malawi
| | - Rebecca Nightingale
- Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Liverpool, United Kingdom
- Malawi Liverpool Wellcome Trust Programme, Blantyre, Malawi
| | - Stephen Gordon
- Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Liverpool, United Kingdom
- Malawi Liverpool Wellcome Trust Programme, Blantyre, Malawi
| | - Kevin Mortimer
- Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Liverpool, United Kingdom
| | - Peter Burney
- National heart and Lung Institute, Imperial College, London, United Kingdom
| | - Jamie Rylance
- Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Liverpool, United Kingdom
- Malawi Liverpool Wellcome Trust Programme, Blantyre, Malawi
| | - Angela Obasi
- Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Liverpool, United Kingdom
| | - Louis Niessen
- Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Liverpool, United Kingdom
- John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, United States of America
| | - Graham Devereux
- Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Liverpool, United Kingdom
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21
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Mortimer K, Lesosky M, Semple S, Malava J, Katundu C, Crampin A, Wang D, Weston W, Pope D, Havens D, Gordon SB, Balmes J. Pneumonia and Exposure to Household Air Pollution in Children Under the Age of 5 Years in Rural Malawi: Findings From the Cooking and Pneumonia Study. Chest 2020; 158:501-511. [PMID: 32311349 PMCID: PMC7417377 DOI: 10.1016/j.chest.2020.03.064] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2019] [Revised: 03/16/2020] [Accepted: 03/28/2020] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Exposure to household air pollution is associated with an increased risk of pneumonia in children in low- and middle-income countries; however, exposure-response data are limited, and there are uncertainties around the extent to which biomass-fueled cookstoves can reduce these exposures. RESEARCH QUESTION What is the association between exposure to household air pollution and pneumonia in children under the age of 5 years in rural Malawi and what are the effects of a biomass-fueled cookstove intervention on personal exposure to household air pollution? STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS We measured personal exposure to carbon monoxide (CO; 48 hours of continuous measurement and transcutaneous carboxyhemoglobin) every 6 months in children who participated in a cluster-randomized controlled trial of a cleaner burning biomass-fueled cookstove intervention to prevent pneumonia in children under the age of 5 years in rural Malawi (the Cooking And Pneumonia Study). Exposure-response and multivariable analyses were done. RESULTS We recruited 1805 (928 intervention; 877 control) children (mean age, 25.6 months; 50.6% female). We found no evidence of an association between exposure to CO (incident rate ratio, 1.0; 95% CI, 0.967 to 1.014; P = .53) or carboxyhemoglobin (incident rate ratio, 1.00; 95% CI, 0.993 to 1.003; P = .41) in children who experienced pneumonia vs those who did not. Median exposure to CO in the intervention and control groups was was 0.34 (interquartile range, 0.15 to 0.81) and 0.37 parts per million (interquartile range, 0.15 toa 0.97), respectively. The group difference in means was 0.46 (95% CI, -0.95 to 0.012; P = .06). INTERPRETATION Exposure to CO in our population was low with no association seen between exposure to CO and pneumonia incidence and no effect of the Cooking And Pneumonia Study intervention on these exposures. These findings suggest that CO may not be an appropriate measure of household air pollution exposure in settings such as rural Malawi and that there is a need to develop ways to measure particulate matter exposures directly in young children instead. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION ISRCTN59448623.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Maia Lesosky
- University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
| | | | - Jullita Malava
- Malawi Epidemiology and Intervention Research Unit, Chilumba, Malawi
| | - Cynthia Katundu
- Malawi Epidemiology and Intervention Research Unit, Chilumba, Malawi
| | - Amelia Crampin
- Malawi Epidemiology and Intervention Research Unit, Chilumba, Malawi; London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK
| | - Duolao Wang
- Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Liverpool, UK
| | | | - Dan Pope
- University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK
| | | | - Stephen B Gordon
- Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Liverpool, UK; Malawi Liverpool Wellcome Trust Programme, Blantyre, Malawi
| | - John Balmes
- University of California, Berkeley, CA; University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA
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