Abstract
Respiratory diseases, such as bronchitis and pneumonia, are common in First Nations children in Canada. The objectives are to determine prevalence and associated risk factors of bronchitis in children 6–17 years old residing in two reserve communities. The cross-sectional study was conducted in 2013 and children from two First Nations reserve communities participated. The outcome was ever presence/absence of bronchitis. Logistic regression analysis was conducted to examine the relationship between bronchitis and the individual and environmental factors. A total of 351 First Nations children participated in the study. The prevalence of bronchitis was 17.9%. While 86.6% had at least one parent who smoked, smoking inside home was 43.9%. Signs of mold and mildew in homes were high. Prevalence of houses with any damage caused by dampness was 42.2%, with 44.2% of homes showing signs of mold or mildew. Significant predictors of increased risk of bronchitis were: being obese; having respiratory allergies; exposed to parental cigarette smoking; and signs of mold and mildew in the home. There are several modifiable risk factors that should be considered when examining preventive interventions for bronchitis including obesity, smoking exposure, and home mold or dampness.
Highlights
Respiratory diseases including bronchitis and pneumonia are common in First Nations children in Canada [1]
There were 351 First Nations children aged 6–17 years who participated in the FNLHP
Obese children were at higher risk of ever having been diagnosed with ever bronchitis compared to children who were not overweight or obese
Summary
Respiratory diseases including bronchitis and pneumonia are common in First Nations children in Canada [1]. Prevalence rates of respiratory diseases in First Nations children are higher than in the general population of Canadian children [1]. The prevalence of ever bronchitis for First Nations children in Canada is not well known. An earlier study by Senthilselvan et al [2] reported that physician-diagnosed ever bronchitis prevalence in children between 5 and 14 years old among. The authors observed that prevalence rates of ever bronchitis were higher among Registered Indian children compared to urban or rural non-Aboriginal children during the period of 1991 to 1998 [2]. While results from the First Nations Regional Health
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