Prevalence of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and its association with tobacco smoking and environmental tobacco smoke exposure among rural population.

A field survey was conducted for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) epidemiology in the rural field practice area of Kempegowda Institute of Medical Sciences, Bangalore, India, which covers a population of 44,387 to find out the prevalence of COPD in adult subjects of 35 years and above using cluster sampling technique and to determine the association of tobacco smoking, environmental tobacco smoking (ETS) exposure and type of cooking fuel used with COPD. The overall prevalence of COPD was 4.36%. The prevalence among males and females were 5.32% and 3.41% respectively. The prevalence was found to be increasing with an increase in age. The tobacco smoke and exposure to ETS was significantly associated with higher odds of COPD with adjusted odds ratio 2.97 and 2.67 respectively. Thus, there was a significant association between tobacco smoking and ETS exposure with COPD.

Prevalence of bronchial asthma and its association with smoking habits among adult population in rural area.

A cross-sectional study was conducted in the rural field practice area of Kempegowda Institute of Medical Sciences, Bangalore. A total of 3194 adult individuals (18-70 years) were selected from 30 villages (clusters) using a cluster-sampling technique. Individuals with symptoms suggestive of asthma were subjected for clinical examination for the diagnosis of asthma. Among the 3194 respondents, 1518 (47.5%) were males and 1676 (52.5%) were females. The prevalence of bronchial asthma was 2.88%. The prevalence of asthma was higher among those reporting a history of current smoking. Among current smokers, the number of cigarettes/bidis/hookah smoked daily did not differ (P > 0.05) between individuals without asthma and with asthma, whereas the mean number of years of smoking did differ (P < 0.001). There was significant association between tobacco smoking and bronchial asthma.