ArticlePrimary care respiratory journal : journal of the General Practice Airways Group2013
Impact of chronic respiratory symptoms in a rural area of sub-Saharan Africa: an in-depth qualitative study in the Masindi district of Uganda.
Article in Primary care respiratory journal : journal of the General Practice Airways Group, 2013. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 29 papers.
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Who cites it
29 citing papers in PubMed, 65 citations in OpenAlex.
- Methemoglobin and nitric oxide therapy in Ugandan children hospitalized for febrile illness: results from a prospective cohort study and randomized double-blind placebo-controlled trial.BMC pediatrics · 2016Trial
- Economic evaluation of the practical approach to lung health and informal provider interventions for improving the detection of tuberculosis and chronic airways disease at primary care level in Malawi: study protocol for cost-effectiveness analysis.Implementation science : IS · 2015Trial
- Implementing breathlessness self-management in low- and middle-income countries: co-design of breathlessness self-management resources for use in India.NPJ primary care respiratory medicine · 2025Article
- Insights into household air pollution: A systematic scoping review on perceptions of solid biomass fuel use in South Asian countries.Journal of family medicine and primary care · 2025Review
- "People here live in denial": A qualitative study of the pervasive impact of stigma on asthma diagnosis and care in Kenya and Sudan.PLOS global public health · 2025Article
- "Honestly, this problem has affected me a lot": a qualitative exploration of the lived experiences of people with chronic respiratory disease in Sudan and Tanzania.BMC public health · 2023Article
- Challenges to Implementation of Community Health Worker-Led Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) Screening and Referral in Rural Uganda: A Qualitative Study using the Implementation Outcomes Framework.International journal of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease · 2023Article
- Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease in Cameroon: Prevalence and Predictors-A Multisetting Community-Based Study.Pulmonary medicine · 2023Article
- Challenges in the diagnosis of asthma in children, what are the solutions? A scoping review of 3 countries in sub Saharan Africa.Respiratory research · 2022Article
- Use of biomass fuels predicts indoor particulate matter and carbon monoxide concentrations; evidence from an informal urban settlement in Fort Portal city, Uganda.BMC public health · 2022Article
- Association between Wood and Other Biomass Fuels and Risk of Low Birthweight in Uganda: A Cross-Sectional Analysis of 2016 Uganda Demographic and Health Survey Data.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Article
- Symptoms and functional limitations related to respiratory health and carbon monoxide poisoning in Tanzania: a cross sectional study.Environmental health : a global access science source · 2022Article
- A systematic approach to context-mapping to prepare for health interventions: development and validation of the SETTING-tool in four countries.BMJ global health · 2021Review
- Article
- Implementing a context-driven awareness programme addressing household air pollution and tobacco: a FRESH AIR study.NPJ primary care respiratory medicine · 2020Article
- Illness representations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) to inform health education strategies and research design-learning from rural Uganda.Health education research · 2020Article
- Training needs for Ugandan primary care health workers in management of respiratory diseases: a cross sectional survey.BMC health services research · 2020Article
- Prevalence and correlates of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and chronic respiratory symptoms in rural southwestern Uganda: a cross-sectional, population-based study.Journal of global health · 2019Article
- COPD's early origins in low-and-middle income countries: what are the implications of a false start?NPJ primary care respiratory medicine · 2019Article
- Under- and over-diagnosis of COPD: a global perspective.Breathe (Sheffield, England) · 2019Review
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Authors and funding
8 authors at 7 institutions in 3 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundChronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), once regarded as a disease of developed countries, is now recognised as a common disease in low- and middle-income countries. No studies have been performed to examine how the community in resource poor settings of a rural area in sub-Saharan Africa lives with chronic respiratory symptoms.
aimsTo explore beliefs and attitudes concerning health (particularly respiratory illnesses), use of biomass fuels, tobacco smoking, and the use of health services.
methodsA qualitative study was undertaken in a rural area of Masindi district in Uganda, using focus group discussions with 10-15 members of the community in 10 randomly selected villages.
resultsRespiratory symptoms were common among men, women, and children. In several communities respiratory symptoms were stigmatised and often associated with tuberculosis. Almost all the households used firewood for cooking and the majority cooked indoors without any ventilation. The extent of exposure to tobacco and biomass fuel smoke was largely determined by their cultural tradition and gender, tribal origin and socioeconomic factors. Many people were unaware of the damage to respiratory health caused by these risk factors, notably the disproportionate effect of biomass smoke in women and children.
conclusionsThe knowledge of chronic respiratory diseases, particularly COPD, is poor in the rural community in sub-Saharan Africa. The lack of knowledge has created different beliefs and attitudes concerning respiratory symptoms. Few people are aware of the relation between smoke and respiratory health, leading to extensive exposure to mostly biomass-related smoke.
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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.