Smoke Exposure and Respiratory Symptoms among Slum Dwellers in the GA East Municipal Assembly, Accra

Abstract

Background: In Ghana, air pollution from indoor sources is the single leading contributor to adverse health outcomes such as cardiovascular and respiratory morbidities and mortalities. Indoor air pollution is associated with estimated 15,000 deaths yearly in Ghana and 3,000 deaths of children under five years. It is also a significant risk factor for non-communicable diseases in Ghana and possibly the biggest risk factor for women in rural areas. Objective: The study sort to provide understanding of the sources of smoke exposure and the relationship between smoke exposure and respiratory symptoms among slum dwellers in the Ga East Municipal Assembly (GEMA). Methods: A population-based cross-sectional study involving 200 randomly selected households living in slums in the GEMA. Four communities located 1 km of the Abokobi dumpsite which includes Ablor Adjei, Evangelical Presbyterian (EP) area, Paraku Estates and Pantang were selected for the study. The data were collected on the following; socio-demographic characteristics, any exposure to smoke at home, exposure to smoke from cigarette smoking (active and passive smoking), backyard garbage burning, dumpsite, biomass fuel use and symptoms related to respiratory system. A questionnaire loaded in a Research Electronic Data Capture (REDCap) application was employed to collect the data. The data were analyzed using SAS v9.4 and presented in tables and chart. Chi-square test was used to determine the associations between the exposure and outcome variables. The level of significance was set at p<0.05. Results: Many of the participants (28.50%) were in an age group of 41-50 years. The prevalence of respiratory symptoms among the study population were chronic cough (20%), phlegm production (17%), wheezing (17%) and shortness of breath or breathlessness (14%). The sources of exposure to smoke among the communities were biomass fuel use (47%), dumpsite smoke (53%), backyard garbage burning (97.5%) and cigarette smoking (active or passive smoking) (41.5%) There was association between exposure to smoke from the dumpsite, biomass fuel use, cigarette smoking and chronic cough. The study also showed association between almost daily exposures to smoke from backyard garbage burning and chronic cough, phlegm production and breathlessness. Conclusion: In conclusion, our data showed associations between smoke exposure and respiratory symptoms. Smoke exposure may present a significant risk of respiratory health in the GEMA. Measures should be taken to minimize smoke exposures from exposure sources to reduce the prevalence of respiratory symptoms in the GEMA.