© 1978 Oxford University Press
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Respiratory abnormalities in Papua New Guinea children: the effects of locality and domestic wood smoke pollution
Papua New Guinea Institute of Medical Research
In Papua New Guinea, prevalence surveys of respiratory abnormalities and ventilatory capacity were carried out among 1650 children aged 0–14 years living in two contrasting communities; one in the highlands (alt. 2000 metres) and the other at sea level. Signs and symptoms of lower respiratory disease were intercorrelated and both were associated with an obstructive ventilatory defect. Mean values for FEV% in each population were similar, indicating no difference in the overall level of obstructive lung disease. Up to the age of 10 years, the two communities were similar in their rates for loose cough sign, adventitise, past chest illness and nasal discharge. After the age of 10, highlanders had higher rates for loose cough and nasal discharge. A history of wheeze was rare in the highlands but was present in 15% of coastal children, with a two fold excess in boys. In the highlands the most obvious air pollutant was wood smoke from nocturnal domestic fires and mean particulate concentrations were found to vary between 0.6 and 2.0 mg/m3 over the period 6 pm to 4 am. To examine the effect of this on the respiratory tract, 112 highland school children attending the same school but differing in their exposure to domestic smoke were examined at weekly intervals over 30 weeks. No significant differences in respiratory abnormalities or lung function were observed. The results indicate that the considerable environmental differences which exist within Papua New Guinea are not associated with important variations in the prevalence of childhood respiratory disease.
Received 21 September 1977
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