Objective

To establish the association between environmental and health factors, as well as the prevalence of respiratory disease among the inhabitants of the villages of El Sango, Romeral and Pastorcita, located in the municipality of Guarne, Colombia, during the second half of 2015.

Materials and Methods

Descriptive correlational study. Primary sources of information were consulted and a survey with closed questions was designed. The population was made up of 493 inhabitants, aged ≥18 years. Descriptive bivariate analyzes were performed using Chi2 and Fischer test calculations, and including their corresponding PR and 95%CI.

Results

It was found that 6.5% of the population suffered from some respiratory condition within the past year, the most frequent being asthma (2.9%) and COPD (2.7%). Statistically significant associations were found between suffering from a respiratory disease and residing near factories or industries (PV: 2.608; 95% Cl: 1.344-5.059; p<0.05). People residing near sewage or garbage dumps were also at risk for respiratory disease (PR: 2.333; 95% CI: 1.278-4.257; p <0.05). A higher prevalence was observed in people whose houses had mud, cane or mat roofs (X2: 3.214; p <0.05) or lived in the village of Romeral (X2: 7.032; p <0.05).

Conclusions

The population of interest is exposed to environmental pollution (micro factories or industries) and sanitary factors (sewage and garbage), which are associated with the prevalence of respiratory diseases in the sector.