![[ Visit Client Website ]](images/banner.gif)
Learning Objective 1: The learner will be able to identify factors affecting lung function of communities people.
Learning Objective 2: The learner will be able to identify the method of lung function assessment.
Design and Medthods: A cross-sectional reserch design. The research participants were 260 Southern Thai adults living in communities with both air pollution exposure and non-air pollution exposure.
Measurement: Data were collected through assessment process using instruments: physical assessment form, spirometer, skin fold caliper, and blood test for albumin. Data were analyzed based on Chi-square and logistic regression analysis.
Results: The study showed that the majority of the participants were female (64.20%) aged between 20 and 83 years with an average of 46.36 years. Nearly fifty percent (45.38%) of the samples showed abnormal body mass index and abnormal waist hip ratio (41.54 %). Most of them (83.85%) had high level of body fat. About 28.46 % had abnormal lung function. There were significant differences of lung function of the people living in the exposed and non-exposed to the air pollution communities (chi-square = 30.17, p < 0.001) and range of age of 60 and above, 40-59 and 20-39 years (chi-square = 8.60, p < 0.05).
The air pollution community was found to be predictor of lung function. Samples who lived in exposured to air pollution communities had higher susceptibility of abnormal lung function than those living in non expose to the air pollution communities (34.23 times) (p < 0.001, 95%Cl = 4.67-252.78). The study showed that air pollution community was the influential variable on abnormal lung function with an explained variance of 29.67.
Conclusion: The study results suggested providing public education of people in the air pollution-exposed communities. Lung function test should be a routine health service available for at least once a year. Collaborative management among stake holders in the polluted communities, people, industrial enterprises, and health care organizations should be done to improve quality of the air.
See more of: Research Sessions – Oral Paper & Posters