Prevalence of Chronic Bronchitis in Farm and Nonfarm Rural Residents in Saskatchewan

Objective: To determine the prevalence of chronic bronchitis (CB) and associated risk factors in farm and nonfarm rural residents in Saskatchewan, Canada. Methods: The questionnaire collected information about health, contextual, and individual factors from 8261 farm and nonfarm adult residents (18 years and older). Results: The prevalence of CB was 5.3% among farm residents and 6.4% among nonfarm residents. We found a greater prevalence of CB associated with household income adequacy, increasing age, allergies, history of lung disease in a parent, exposure to stubble smoke, obesity, prenatal exposure to smoking, and female sex. Smoking interacted with occupational exposure to wood dust and solvents, and allergic reaction to molds. Conclusion: The results suggest that increasing household income and reducing smoking could be primary, modifiable determinants of CB prevalence.