Chest
Volume 99, Issue 4, April 1991, Pages 916-922
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Clinical Investigations
Respiratory Symptoms and Risk Factors in an Arizona Population Sample of Anglo and Mexican-American Whites

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Prevalence rates of respiratory symptoms and diseases in a large group of Anglos and Mexican-Americans were analyzed. Each subject completed a questionnaire. Among current smokers, chronic productive cough and dyspnea were significantly higher in both ethnic groups; wheezy symptoms were higher in Anglos. There were no significant differences in the symptom prevalence rates between the two groups, after stratifying by current cigarette consumption and CRT. The spirometric values were not significantly different. In both ethnic groups, the prevalence rates of wheeze, SOBWHZ and asthma were significantly higher in those who had CRT. Among Anglos, less educated smokers had significantly higher prevalence rates of SOBWHZ and dyspnea; nonsmokers with less education had higher prevalence rates of cough, chronic cough and dyspnea. Our results confirm the importance of CRT and lower educational level as risk factors for respiratory symptoms. Ethnicity is not associated with symptomatology or lung function impairment.

Section snippets

Materials and Methods

The characteristics of the population, the process of selection and the assessment of its representativeness are fully described elsewhere.13 Briefly, the population for this study was derived from the municipal employees (about 4,000) of Pima County and their families that lived in the Tucson area. This population represents a wide spectrum of social status within an employed population in this geographic area, with a fairly representative distribution of age, sex and ethnic group. It also

Results

The characteristics of the studied population are shown in Table 1. There are no significant differences between Anglos and Mexican-Americans with regard to age and smoking habits, although the number of cigarettes per day in current smokers is significantly higher among Anglos. There is a significant association of the lowest education level (less or equal to high school) with smoking habits and, among Anglos, with the amount of current cigarette smoking. In general, there is a significantly

Discussion

Our findings in a large working population living in a warm dry region, confirm previous results obtained in the general population living in the same zone6, 13, 17 and point out the importance of certain risk factors for chronic obstructive lung diseases.

First, the overwhelming evidence of the harmful effects of cigarette smoking, as indicated in the Surgeon General's Report9 and in general population surveys,1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 is stressed. In both ethnic groups, chronic productive cough

Acknowledgment

The writers thank the hundreds of employees of Pima County who participated in the study.

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    Manuscript received June 15; revision accepted September 14.

    This work has been supported in part by EPA Cooperative Agreement No. CR811806.

    Although the research described in this article has been funded wholly or in part by the U.S. EPA through Cooperative Agreement No. CR811806 to Michael D. Lebowitz, Ph.D., it has not been subjected to the EPA's peer and policy review and therefore does not necessarily reflect the views of the EPA, and no official endorsement should be inferred.

    Dr. Viegi is recipient of an Italian Research Council (CNR) fellowship (Bando n. 203.04.12 del 1/07/88).

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