title: Indoor coal use and early childhood growth.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To examine whether indoor coal combustion for heating, which releases pollutants into the air, affects early childhood growth.
  
  
  METHODS
  A prospective longitudinal study, with growth measurements extracted from medical records of the children's well-child care visits at age 36 months. Data were compiled from self-administered questionnaires and medical records, both completed at 2 time points: delivery and follow-up.
  
  
  METHODS
  Teplice and Prachatice districts in the Czech Republic.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 1133 children followed from birth to age 36 months.
  
  
  METHODS
  Maternally reported use of coal for heating.
  
  
  METHODS
  The z score for height for age and sex at age 36 months.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Adjusted for covariates, indoor coal use was significantly associated with a lower z score for height for age and sex at age 36 months (z score = -0.37; 95% confidence interval, -0.60 to -0.14). This finding translates into a reduction in height of about 1.34 cm (95% confidence interval, 0.51 to 2.16) for boys and 1.30 cm (95% confidence interval, 0.50 to 2.10) for girls raised in homes that used coal. The association between coal use and height was modified by postnatal cigarette smoke exposure.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Pollution from indoor coal use may impair early childhood skeletal growth to age 36 months. Because a significant proportion of the world population still uses coal indoors, the finding has public health consequences.
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health Sciences, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA 95616, USA.
authors.forename: Rakesh
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ghosh
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Amirian
authors.forename: Miroslav
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Dostal
authors.forename: Radim J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Sram
authors.forename: Irva
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Hertz-Picciotto
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D016902:Air Pollution, Indoor / Q000009:adverse effects*; D001827:Body Height; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003031:Coal / Q000009:adverse effects*; D016001:Confidence Intervals; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006130:Growth Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology*; D006361:Heating / Q000009:adverse effects*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D019570:Inhalation Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D011446:Prospective Studies; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012737:Sex Factors; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors
chemical_list: D003031:Coal