title: Risk factors for pneumonia in infants and young children and the role of solid fuel for cooking: a case-control study.
abstract: We evaluated the risk factors for childhood pneumonia with particular reference to indoor air-pollution associated with solid fuel use for cooking (e.g. coal, wood, dung), using a case-control study in a children's hospital in Calcutta. Cases were 127 children aged 2-35 months of either sex admitted with pneumonia and controls were 135 children attending their immunization clinic. Solid fuel use (odds ratio = 3.97, CI = 2.00-7.88), history of asthma in the child (OR = 5.49, CI = 2.37-12.74), poor economic status indicator (OR = 4.95, CI = 2.38 to 10.28), keeping large animals (OR = 6.03, CI = 1.13-32.27) were associated with high risk of pneumonia after adjusting for confounding (logistic regression analysis). Nearly 80% of people in India use such smoke producing fuel and the population attributable risk would be very high. This finding has important health policy implications. Furthermore, history of asthma is a useful prognostic indicator for early action for prevention of severe pneumonia.
authors.affiliation: Society for Applied Studies, Calcutta, India.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Mahalanabis
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Gupta
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Paul
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gupta
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lahiri
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Khaled
mesh_terms: D016902:Air Pollution, Indoor / Q000009:adverse effects*; D001249:Asthma / Q000150:complications; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003296:Cooking; D005260:Female; D006266:Health Education; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010290:Parents; D011014:Pneumonia / Q000209:etiology* / Q000517:prevention & control; D012307:Risk Factors