Respiratory diseases - questionnaire from 1992/2000
The prevalence of various respiratory diseases are increasing in Scandinavia and also in other parts of the world. In this study, an extensive questionnaire on issues related to respiratory diseases, was sent out to residents in the municipality of Malmö and the surrounding area. The questionnaire was 1992 sent to 12 079 individuals, i.e. 1.5% of the formerly population in the municipality of Malmö and the county of Malmöhus. The individuals were selected from the population registry from four age groups (20-29, 30-39, 40-49 and 50-59) with comparable numbers of men and women in each group. After two reminders 8568 (70.1%) individuals had responded to the survey. The questionnaire contained questions such as self-reported asthma, chronic bronchitis, emphysema or allergies, a doctor’s diagnosis of these diseases. It also contained questions regarding if the individual often were bothered by coughing or having trouble with the lungs and nose, such as squeaky breathing and nasal congestion. The questionnaire also included questions about smoking, medication, and if you live near a busy road. A follow-up study was done 2000 and a similar survey was sent out again to 4933 of the individuals who responded to the survey in 1992. The questionnaire was supplemented with issues related to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. This survey was also sent out to 7000 new individuals in the Malmö area, randomly selected from the population register. In total, 11 933 questionnaires were distributed to individuals aged 18-77 years. Of these individuals 9316 (78.1%) subjects responded to the survey, of which 4280 (86.8%) responded to both the 1992- and 2000-survey. For the individuals who responded to the survey in year 2000, additional data on traffic and air pollution have been added using the geographic coordinates of the registered address, data from the Swedish Transport Administration as well as data from an emission database for nitrogen oxides. The purpose of the study was to investigate the prevalence of and risk factors for respiratory diseases in adults in southern Sweden.
