Prevalence of Asthma and Asthma-Related Symptoms Among Adults Exposed to Indoor Environmental Risk Factors: a Comparison between Winter and Summer in Zunyi, China

Abstract

Weather and climate are known to infl uence human health. Seasonal changes of temperature promote alterations in respiratory morbidity and in total and cause-specifi c mortality. Data on the prevalence of asthma and asthma-related symptoms and its disparities between winter and summer in the acid rain-plagued city of Zunyi in southwestern China have not been widely available.In order to describe the epidemiology of asthma and asthma-related symptoms and its prevalence changes between winter and summer, we have completed two cross-sectional surveys of people aged ≥18 years in winter and summer in the inner-city areas of Zunyi city, Guizhou Province, China.The subjects were selected using a simple random sampling method. Data on asthma and asthma-related symptoms and selected home environmental factors were assessed by questionnaire.The studied Chinese adult population residing in Zunyi recorded a lower prevalence rate of asthma than those of Western countries. There was signifi cant difference in asthma prevalence among adult respondents between winter (1.8%) and summer (0.8%) in inner-city Zunyi. Asthma and asthma-related symptoms occurred more frequently in winter than summer, and that difference mainly correlated with environmental risk exposures, including coal combustion, frequency of stove cooking, fan or range hood usage, mattress material, pet possession, must and mould in the bedroom, etc.The prevalence of adult asthma and asthma-related symptoms was higher in winter compared to the summer in Zunyi, China. Our study suggests that asthma may be an important component of the public health burden of indoor air pollution, especially in winter.

Determinants of asthma among adults in Tigray, Northern Ethiopia: a facility-based case-control study

“…Repeated exposure to coal or wood smoke irritates the lungs and increases the risk of developing asthma. This result is similar to Nigeria, Peru, USA and Ethiopia ( Thacher et al, 2013 ; Gaviola et al, 2016 ; Enilari & Sinha, 2019 ; Abebe et al, 2021 ) but inconsistent with the studies done in Colombia, China, India, and Uganda ( Barry et al, 2010 ; Guddattu, Swathi & Nair, 2010 ; Jie et al, 2016 ; Kirenga et al, 2019 ). This variation could be due to difference in the sample size, cooking space, door opening frequency, and duration of exposure to firewood/coal.…”

“…The low avoidance behavior of pets was similar in this study where 93.6% of the pets were allowed to stay in the respondent’s bedroom. This finding was similar to the study done in Finland, China, and Congo ( Jaakkola et al, 2002 ; Takkouche et al, 2008 ; Jie et al, 2016 ; Obel et al, 2017 ; Luo et al, 2018 ). On the other hand, this finding was inconsistent with the study done in Japan which reported that having pets was a protective factor ( Taniguchi & Kobayashi, 2023 ).…”

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