Impact of a cleaner-burning cookstove intervention on blood pressure in Nicaraguan women.
Few studies have evaluated the cardiovascular-related effects of indoor biomass burning or the role of characteristics such as age and obesity status, in this relationship. We examined the impact of a cleaner-burning cookstove intervention on blood pressure among Nicaraguan women using an open fire at baseline; we also evaluated heterogeneity of the impact by subgroups of the population. We evaluated changes in systolic and diastolic blood pressure from baseline to post-intervention (range: 273-383 days) among 74 female cooks. We measured indoor fine particulate matter (PM(2.5); N = 25), indoor carbon monoxide (CO; N = 32), and personal CO (N = 30) concentrations. Large mean reductions in pollutant concentrations were observed for all pollutants; for example, indoor PM(2.5) was reduced 77% following the intervention. However, pollution distributions (baseline and post-intervention) were wide and overlapping. Although substantial reductions in blood pressure were not observed among the entire population, a 5.9 mmHg reduction [95% confidence interval (CI): -11.3, -0.4] in systolic blood pressure was observed among women aged 40 or more years and a 4.6 mmHg reduction (95% CI: -10.0, 0.8) was observed among obese women. Results from this study provide an indication that certain subgroups may be more likely to experience improvements in blood pressure following a cookstove intervention.
Environmental and Radiological Health Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523-1681, USA. Maggie.Clark@ColoState.EDU
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Clark
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Bachand
J M
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Heiderscheidt
S A
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Yoder
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Luna
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Volckens
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Koehler
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Conway
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Reynolds
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Peel
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D016902:Air Pollution, Indoor / Q000009:adverse effects*; D001794:Blood Pressure; D002648:Child; D003296:Cooking / Q000295:instrumentation*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000517:prevention & control*; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008875:Middle Aged; D009527:Nicaragua; D055815:Young Adult