RESPIRATORY CONDITIONS ARE ASSOCIATED WITH HOUSEHOLD FACTORS IN MIDDLE AGE MEN IN WUHAN, CHINA

摘要

We examined associations between respiratory conditions and multiple household factors among 2360 middle age men (mean = 38.4 yrs old) from Wuhan, China. Factor analyses reduced seventeen original household variables to five new uncorrelated factor variables: heating coal smoke, cooking coal smoke, ventilation, socio-economic status, and any home cigarette smoker. Unconditional logistic regression models examined associations between the factor variables and the respiratory outcomes. We found that heating coal smoke exposure was associated with persistent cough, persistent phlegm, and wheeze. Cooking coal smoke was associated with asthma. Household ventilation was not associated with any health outcomes. Lower socio-economic status was associated with lower reporting of bronchitis. Any home cigarette smoker was associated with higher reporting of persistent cough,persistent phlegm, cough with phlegm, and bronchitis. Our study suggests that there are independent effects of exposure to heating coal smoke, cooking coal smoke, and any home cigarette smoker for the studied men.