abstract
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is impacted by exposure to environmental contaminants. Improving health literacy on this topic might help to optimize health outcomes. We aimed to design and deliver a health-education session about the impact of environmental contaminants on respiratory symptoms and explore participants' perceptions on such session. Patients with COPD were recruited from a pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) program. Two focus groups were first conducted to explore knowledge amongst the group. Then, the session was designed and delivered, and three focus groups were conducted to obtain feedback from participants. Data were analyzed thematically by two independent researchers. Thirty-one patients (71 +/- 8 years old, FEV1 = 47.6 +/- 16.8% predicted; 74.2% male) were included. Prior to the session, participants recognized the importance of this topic and described avoidance strategies to deal with symptom triggering due to air pollution. After the session, participants had their knowledge validated, kept some avoidance strategies, but also adapted some unavoidable activities of daily living. Patients with COPD value education on this topic, and PR offers a friendly environment to discuss prevention and management strategies. Contents of the session are provided to help deliver these sessions. Future studies could investigate the effectiveness of this intervention on self-management and exacerbations of COPD.
keywords
AIR-POLLUTANTS; RESPIRATORY HEALTH; EXACERBATIONS; POLLUTION; DISEASE
subject category
Environmental Sciences & Ecology; Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
authors
Souto-Miranda, S; Goncalves, AC; Valente, C; Freitas, C; Sousa, ACA; Marques, A
our authors
Ana Catarina Almeida Sousa
Collaboratoracknowledgements
This research was funded by the International Observatory Hommes-Milieux of Estarreja (OHMI Estarreja), through the Dispositif de Recherche Interdisciplinaire sur les Interactions Hommes-Milieux (LabEx DRIIHM), and by Programa Operacional de Competitividade e Internacionalizacao-POCI, through Fundo Europeu de Desenvolvimento Regional-FEDER (POCI-01-0145-FEDER-028806), Fundacao para a Ciencia e Tecnologia (PTDC/SAU-SER/28806/2017) and under the project UIDB/04501/2020. Ana C.A. Sousa acknowledges Universidade de Aveiro for funding in the scope of the framework contract foreseen in the numbers 4, 5, and 6 of the article 23, of the Decree-Law 57/2016, of August 29, changed by Law 57/2017, of July 19 and project CICECO-Aveiro Institute of Materials, UIDB/50011/2020 & UIDP/50011/2020.