Ecuadorian Provinces with High Morbidity and Mortality Rates Due to Asthma among the Working-Age Population
An Ecological Study to Promote Respiratory Health
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 15506235 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Antonio Ramón Gómez García (0000-0003-1015-1753, Universidad de Especialidades Espíritu Santo, corresponding author), Andrea Liseth Cevallos Paz (0009-0001-0551-652X, Department of Occupational Safety and Health, Occupational Medicine-PraxMED, Quito 170135, Ecuador), Diemen Delgado-García (0000-0003-2600-8425, Universidad de Aconcagua), Danilo Martínez Jimbo (0000-0001-7220-3577, Universidad Internacional SEK) |
| Year | 2024 |
| Volume | 21 |
| Issue | 7 |
| Pages | 909-909 |
| Publication date | 2024-07-11 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1661-7827 • E-ISSN: 1660-4601 |
| Publisher | Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute (PUBLISHER • CH) |
| DOI | 10.3390/ijerph21070909 |
| PMID | 39063486 |
| OpenAlex | W4400576766 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 24 |
Asthma is a significant public health concern. This study identified the provinces with the highest morbidity and mortality rates due to asthma among the working-age population (15-69 years) in the Republic of Ecuador. The secondary objective was to explain the possible differences attributable to occupational exposure. This nationwide ecological study was conducted in 24 provinces between 2016 and 2019. Government databases were used as sources of information. Age-standardized rates were calculated for codes J45 and J46. The hospitalization morbidity rate for asthma decreased from 6.51 to 5.76 cases per 100,000 working-age population, and the mortality rate has consistently been low and stable from 0.14 to 0.15 deaths per 100,000 working-age population. Geographic differences between the provinces were evident. The risk of hospitalization and death due to asthma was higher in the Pacific coast (Manabí with 7.26 and 0.38, Esmeraldas with 6.24 and 0.43, Los Ríos with 4.16 and 0.40, El Oro with 7.98 and 0.21, Guayas with 4.42 and 0.17 and the Andean region (Azuay with 6.33 and 0.45, Cotopaxi (5.84 and 0.48)). The high rates observed in provinces with greater agricultural and industrial development could be national heterogeneity's main determinants and act as occupational risk factors. The contribution of occupational hazards in each province should be examined in depth through ad hoc studies. The findings presented here provide valuable information that should prompt further detailed studies, which will assist in designing public policies aimed at promoting and safeguarding the respiratory health of the population, particularly that of workers. We believe that this study will inspire the creation of regional networks for the research and surveillance of occupational health
Asthma · Ecological study · Environmental health · Geography · Mortality rate · Pathology · Population · Public health · Air Quality and Health Impacts · Demography · Medicine · Occupational exposure and asthma · Occupational Health and Safety Research · Internal Medicine · Surgery
| Highly cited | No |
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