Open AccessIndoor Cooking Practices and Associated Health Factors Among Participants in the Dominican Republic and Nicaragua: A Collaborative Study Between Respiratory Therapy Students and Comunidad Connect
Author(s) -
Rachel Culbreth,
Rachel Trawick,
Jon M. Thompson,
Douglas S Gardenhire
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
the internet journal of allied health sciences and practice
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 1540-580X
DOI - 10.46743/1540-580x/2021.2078
Subject(s) - blood pressure , medicine , demography , environmental health , gerontology , geography , sociology
The purpose of this study is to determine factors associated with indoor cooking practices and specific vital signs across two middle-income countries, Dominican Republic and Nicaragua. This study used data from Nicaragua (n=76) and Dominican Republic (n=62) (collected in 2018-2019). Multivariable linear regression was utilized to determine factors associated with carbon monoxide levels and systolic blood pressure. Among all participants (n=138), approximately half lived in Nicaragua (n=76, 55.1%) and half lived in Dominican Republic (n=62, 44.9%). The overall smoking prevalence in each country was low (9.2% in Nicaragua and 4.8% in Dominican Republic). Age was associated with higher carbon monoxide levels and higher systolic blood pressure measurements in each country. Future studies should examine a broader range of contextual and behavioral factors related to carbon monoxide and peak flow measurements in the two countries.