[Survey and analyses of rate of spirometry examination in adults aged 40 years and older in China, 2014].

Objective To understand the performance of spirometry examination in adults aged ≥40 years and provide evidence for the improvement of comprehensive prevention and control of COPD and the evaluation on the effects of current prevention and control measures. Methods The study subjects were those included in national COPD surveillance in China during 2014-2015. The surveillance used a multi-stage, stratified cluster sampling strategy and a total of 125 surveillance points in 31 provinces were covered. A total of 75 107 adults aged ≥40 years received a questionnaire survey in face to face interviews to collect the information about their acceptance of spirometry examination in previous years. The estimated rate (95%CI) of spirometry examination was calculated based on complex sampling weight design. Results A total of 74 591 subjects were included in the analyses. The estimated rate of spirometry examination was 4.5% (95%CI: 3.7%-5.2%), and it was significantly higher in men than in women (P<0.001), in urban population than in rural population (P<0.001). The rate of spirometry examination increased with the increase of education level (P<0.001). The rate of spirometry examination was highest in retirees (10.8%, 95%CI: 8.2%-13.3%), and lowest in those working in the industry of agriculture, forestry, animal husbandry, fishery and water conservancy (2.4%, 95%CI: 2.0%-2.9%). The rate of spirometry examination was high in those with previous chronic respiratory diseases and respiratory symptoms, i.e. 13.4% (95%CI: 10.5%-16.4%) and 15.0% (95%CI: 10.5%-19.4%) respectively. The rate of spirometry examination in former smokers was 7.4% (95%CI: 6.0%-8.8%), slightly higher than those in current smokers and never smokers, 4.7% (95%CI: 3.9%-5.5%) and 3.9% (95%CI: 3.0%-4.7%), respectively. In different population groups, the rate of spirometry examination was lowest in rural population who had received no formal education (1.8%, 95%CI: 1.2%-2.3%) and highest in urban population with respiratory symptoms (20.2%, 95%CI: 12.6%-27.8%). Conclusion The rate of spirometry examination is extremely low in adults aged ≥40 years in China, therefore effective measures should be taken to increase the rate of spirometry examination in adults in China. Key words: Spirometry examination; Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; Cross-sectional study