Burden of COPD among population above 30 years in India: protocol for a systematic review and proposed meta-analysis

A Preliminary Study on the Impact of Household Air Pollution on Adult Respiratory Health in Urban and Rural Settings of Jaipur, India

Background

This study aimed to investigate the association between household air pollution and chronic respiratory illness (CRI) in Jaipur, India.

Materials and Methods

A total of 147 participants over 18 years of age from 45 households were randomly included in the study, and follow-up visits were conducted once every fortnight over a three-month period. Spirometry tests were conducted using a portable hand-held digital spirometer. A self-designed, pretested, semi-structured questionnaire was utilized to collect socio-demographic information from the participants. Statistical tests, such as t-tests were used to analyze the association between household air pollution and CRI.

Results

The prevalence of COPD and bronchial asthma was 2% and 4%, respectively. Various risk factors for CRI were identified within households, and only 4 episodes of acute exacerbation of chronic respiratory illness were observed, resulting in no incidence density calculation. The mean values of forced vital capacity (FVC) and forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1) were significantly lower in females (P < 0.001) Also, the mean values of FVC and FEV1 were significantly lower in rural areas (P < 0.005) than urban areas.

Conclusion

Our findings highlight the importance of government and stakeholder action to implement clean air policies and protect respiratory health. Further studies are needed to expand on these findings and delve deeper into understanding the complex interactions between various risk factors and respiratory health in this population.

Determinants of tuberculosis: an example of high tuberculosis burden in the Saharia tribe

Tuberculosis (TB) is a significant public health problem among the Saharia community, an underprivileged tribal group in the west-central part of India. There are several challenges for India's TB control program to curtail TB in the Saharia tribe. Malnutrition, poor health sector facilities, lower socio-economic status, and substance abuse are interconnected and synergistic factors contributing to a high burden of TB in the Saharia tribe. In this review, efforts are made to collate the findings of previous studies discussing the causes of high burden of TB in the Saharia tribe, social gaps for mitigating these preventable risk factors of TB in the Saharia tribe, and the plausible solutions for closing these gaps. The concept of Health in All Policies and intersectoral co-ordination is needed for the reduction of TB in the Saharia tribe and to make India TB-free by the year 2025.

Prevalence of COPD among population above 30 years in India: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Background

By 2030, Sustainable Development Goal 3.4 aims to reduce the premature mortality caused by non-communicable diseases through prevention and treatment. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease is the second leading cause of mortality and disability-adjusted life years in India. This review was conducted to estimate the prevalence of COPD using systematic review and meta-analysis technique.

Method

Search was conducted using six databases for studies on COPD among population above 30 years in India between years 2000 to 2020. Cross-sectional and cohort studies reporting prevalence of COPD and associated risk factors were included in the present review. Screening and data extraction was done by two authors independently. Studies were appraised for quality using the modified New Castle Ottawa scale and reporting quality was assessed using STROBE guidelines.

Result

Our search returned 8973 records, from which 23 records fulfilled the eligibility criteria. Overall, the prevalence of COPD among population aged 30 years and above in India was 7%. Risk factors like active and passive smoking, biomass fuel exposure, environmental tobacco smoke, occupational exposure to dust, indoor and outdoor pollution, and increasing age were reported to have a significant association with COPD among Indian population.

Conclusion

Our findings suggest the need for a multicentric national-level research study to understand COPD burden and its contributing risk factors. The findings also suggest the need for COPD sensitive health literacy program focused on early screening and primary prevention of risk factors for COPD, which may help early initiation of self-management practices, that are crucial for better quality of life.