Effect of the lack of access to handwashing facilities on the global burden of lower respiratory infections, 1990–2019: A systematic analysis from the global burden of disease study 2019
Zhenyu Mao,
Xiaoyan Zhu,
Yuchen Huang,
Pengdou Zheng,
Lingling Wang,
Fengqin Zhang,
Huiguo Liu,
Hai Li,
Ling Zhou,
Wei Liu
Affiliations
Zhenyu Mao
Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, National Health Committee (NHC) Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
Xiaoyan Zhu
Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, National Health Committee (NHC) Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
Yuchen Huang
Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, National Health Committee (NHC) Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
Pengdou Zheng
Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, National Health Committee (NHC) Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
Lingling Wang
Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, National Health Committee (NHC) Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
Fengqin Zhang
Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, National Health Committee (NHC) Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
Huiguo Liu
Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, National Health Committee (NHC) Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
Hai Li
Department of Geriatrics, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430030, China; Key Laboratory of Vascular Aging, Ministry of Education, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, 1095 Jiefang Avenue, Wuhan, 430030, China
Ling Zhou
Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, National Health Committee (NHC) Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China; Corresponding author. Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, National Health Committee (NHC) Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China.
Wei Liu
Department of Geriatrics, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430030, China; Key Laboratory of Vascular Aging, Ministry of Education, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, 1095 Jiefang Avenue, Wuhan, 430030, China; Corresponding author. Department of Geriatrics, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, 1095 Jiefang Avenue, Wuhan, China.
A lack of access to handwashing facilities is a significant risk factor for lower respiratory infections(LRIs). However, no studies have reported epidemiologic changes in the burden of LRIs attributed to the lack of access to handwashing facilities. We conducted an integrated assessment of the burden of LRIs attributable to the lack of handwashing facilities from 1990 to 2019 using data from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019. In 2019, 270,000 deaths were attributed to LRIs due to a lack of access to handwashing facilities, with DALYs reaching 14.02 million. The age-standardized mortality rate (ASMR) of LRIs caused by a lack of access to handwashing facilities was approximately 3.74, while the age-standardized DALY rate (ASDR) was reported to be 203.55 in 2019. Over the past 30 years, the burden of LRIs attributed to the lack of access to handwashing facilities has shown a global decline. In 2019, this burden was most pronounced in infants under 1 year of age and in those older than 95 years, reflecting the highest DALY (5591.83) and mortality rates (79.43), respectively. The burden of LRIs caused by the lack of access to handwashing facilities was found to be more severe in males and significantly more pronounced in regions with a low sociodemographic index (SDI), such as the Sahara African region. The development of targeted strategies to address the inadequate and unequal distribution of handwashing facilities holds important value in improving the disease burden of LRIs.
