BackgroundExposure to biomass smoke is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in Africa. Commercial food vendors in Nigeria and elsewhere in Africa are commonly exposed to biomass smoke from open fire cooking both at work and home. Little is known about the knowledge, attitudes and beliefs of food vendors about the health hazards of biomass smoke exposure in Nigeria.MethodsWe did a descriptive cross sectional survey of the knowledge, attitudes and beliefs of commercial food vendors in the cities of Benin and Calabar in Nigeria. We recruited respondents using a multi-stage approach. Structured interviewer-administered questionnaires were used for data collection.ResultsWe recruited 308 participants (164, 53.2% female). The majority 185(60.2%) were married and had post-primary education 206(67.4%). The average monthly income was <30,000 Naira (US$150). Most 198(64.4%) were not aware that biomass smoke exposure is harmful to human health. About three-quarters (221; 71.8%) were unconcerned as to the effect of exposure to fumes from biomass fuels on their health. Less than half of respondents (110, 41.6%) believed biomass smoke was harmful to health. Male gender, being single, having post-primary education and preferring electricity or gas fuels were associated with good knowledge of the adverse health effects of biomass smoke exposure whilst female gender and having good knowledge of the adverse health effects of biomass smoke were associated with positive attitudes towards preventing exposure.ConclusionCommercial food vendors in our study had limited knowledge about the adverse health effects of biomass smoke exposure and negative attitudes towards preventing these adverse health effects. We suggest an educational intervention is needed to improve this knowledge.
Objective Fiberoptic bronchoscopy (FOB) is a widely used tool in the diagnosis and treatment of pulmonary diseases. However, little is known regarding the indications and diagnostic yield of FOB in Ethiopia. The objective of this study was to determine the indications and diagnostic yield of FOB at Tikur Anbessa Specialized Hospital (TASH), the largest public health hospital in Ethiopia. Results In this retrospective chart review, all patients undergoing FOB between January and December 2013 in the bronchoscopy suite were studied. Data included: patient demographics, smoking, HIV status, procedure indications, and microbiologic, cytological and pathologic results. During the study period, 141 patients underwent FOB. The mean age was 42 years; 90(63%) were men. Among those whose smoking status was known, 15% were current or former smokers. The most common indications for FOB were: lung mass (presumed malignancy) 54% (76), tuberculosis 13% (18), and pleural effusion with possible underlying lung cancer 9%(13). 65 patients had endobronchial and/or transbronchial biopsies; 48% (31/65) were diagnostic and of these 68% (21/31) had malignancies. 57 patients had BAL performed; 33% (19/57) were diagnostic and of these 37% (7/19) had tuberculosis. We found that bronchoscopy was a safe and effective tool for diagnosing lung disease in Ethiopia.
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