Title: Prevention of COPD
Course: Non-Communicable Diseases, Emergency Care and Mental Health Part 1 - Ethiopia (Full)

Prevention of COPD

The good news is that COPD is a preventable disease! Educate people in your community how they can protect themselves from developing it by not smoking (or stopping smoking) tobacco, which is dangerous to health not only in terms of COPD.

Smoking is a risk factor for what other conditions?

Show answer

Cardiovascular diseases and some cancers (e.g. lung cancers) are caused by smoking.

Fitting cooking stoves with a flue (a pipe that takes smoke and fumes out of the house, Figure 4.5) is another way to protect the lungs from smoke damage. This is also important in preventing other conditions, including respiratory infections in children (the smoke irritates their delicate lungs and creates mucus for infectious agents to grow in), and cataracts in women whose eyes are exposed to cooking smoke for many hours a day (cataracts are described in detail in Study Session 5).

Figure 4.5 A flue attached to an oven prevents smoke and fumes from polluting the air in a rural house. (Photo: Alex Duncan)