Household bush burning practice and related XXXX in Grenada, the Caribbean.

@entity1 @entity565 @entity1576 @entity1244
UNASSIGNED: The practice of household bush burning in Grenada occurs frequently, though it is not well documented. The effects of the emissions from bush burning on respiratory health of the population have never been researched in Grenada. The goal of the study was to measure the frequency of bush burning and to investigate the relationship between bush burning practice and respiratory health in Grenada. In this cross-sectional study, a questionnaire was used to gather information from households in the parishes of St. George and St. Andrew, Grenada. In total, 225 @entity1 were recruited and their responses on household bush burning and @entity1576 were analyzed. Self-reported data showed that the practice of bush burning was conducted by 43% (n = 96) of the @entity1 as a regular practice (every month) and 86% (n = 192) of @entity1 stated that their neighbors burn bush regularly. The most common lower respiratory symptom associated with bush burning was dry cough (31.4%). The @entity1 who engage in the practice of bush burning had a statistically significant, higher prevalence of @entity1244 symptoms (OR: 2.1, CI 95%: 1.1-3.9) and had slightly higher prevalence of cough (OR: 1.6, CI 95%: 0.9-2.8). Prevalences of physician-diagnosed @entity565 and @entity1244 were 12.3% and 31.2%, respectively. Conducting studies on the health effects of bush burning in different settings and with different practices, such as the household bush burning in our current study, could help to improve public health in the developing world. IMPLICATIONS:    Household disposal of waste is a significant issue in the developing world. In particular, residential bush burning is a common practice in tropical regions. This study demonstrates that the common practice of bush burning in the Caribbean is associated with @entity1576 and demonstrates the need for better management of residential yard waste. Burning of yard waste results in potentially significant exposures to air pollution and therefore alternative disposal practices need to be available. There is a need to increase awareness of the importance of avoiding exposure to the air pollutants generated during bush burning among communities in the Caribbean.
