Relevance of Household Chemical Usage to Respiratory Diseases in Older Adults in China

Objective This study investigated the association between household chemical use and respiratory disease(RD) in older Chinese adults.Methods The data were from the 2018 China Longitudinal Health and Longevity Survey(CLHLS)database, which included 12,866 participants aged ≥ 65 years. The prevalence of RD was based on selfreported medical history, and patients were divided into diseased and non-diseased groups. The frequency of household chemical usage was divided into four categories, and a total score for eight household chemical usage categories was constructed. Binary logistic regression was used to determine the relationship between the frequency of household chemical use and RD, and a restricted cubic spline was used to determine the dose-response association.Result After adjusting for all covariates, regular use of repellents [odds ratios(OR) = 1.28, 95% CI1.06–1.55] and oil removers(OR = 1.28, 95% CI 1.03–1.58) were associated with RD. There was a doseresponse association between the total score of household chemicals usage and RD risk(P non-linearity> 0.05, P for trend < 0.01). Using patients with the total score below 9 as a reference, the OR for patients with the total score ranging from 25 to 32 is 2.33(95% CI 1.25–4.09).Conclusion Regular use of repellents and oil removers increased the risk of RD, and the dosedependent relationship was also observed.