title: Biomass Cooking Fuels and Health Outcomes for Women in Malawi.
abstract: In sub-Saharan Africa, biomass fuels account for approximately 90% of household energy consumption. Limited evidence exists on the association between different biomass fuels and health outcomes. We report results from a cross-sectional sample of 655 households in Malawi. We calculated odds ratios between hypothesized determinants of household air pollution (HAP) exposure (fuel, stove type, and cooking location) and five categories of health outcomes (cardiopulmonary, respiratory, neurologic, eye health, and burns). Reliance on high- or low-quality firewood or crop residue (vs. charcoal) was associated with significantly higher odds of shortness of breath, difficulty breathing, chest pains, night phlegm, forgetfulness, dizziness, and dry irritated eyes. Use of high-quality firewood was associated with significantly lower odds of persistent phlegm. Cooks in rural areas (vs. urban areas) had significantly higher odds of experiencing shortness of breath, persistent cough, and phlegm, but significantly lower odds of phlegm, forgetfulness, and burns. With deforestation and population pressures increasing reliance on low-quality biomass fuels, prevalence of HAP-related cardiopulmonary and neurologic symptoms will likely increase among cooks. Short- to medium-term strategies are needed to secure access to high-quality biomass fuels given limited potential for scalable transitions to modern energy.
authors: Department of Public Policy, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC-CH), Campus Box #3435, Abernethy Hall, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599-3435, USA.
authors: Ipsita
authors: I
authors: Das
authors: Department of Public Policy, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC-CH), Campus Box #3435, Abernethy Hall, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599-3435, USA. pjagger@unc.edu.|Curriculum for the Environment and Ecology, UNC-CH, Campus Box #3435, Abernethy Hall, Chapel Hill, NC, USA. pjagger@unc.edu.|Carolina Population Center, UNC-CH, Chapel Hill, NC, USA. pjagger@unc.edu.
authors: Pamela
authors: P
authors: Jagger
authors: Department of Epidemiology, Gillings School of Global Public Health, UNC-CH, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.
authors: Karin
authors: K
authors: Yeatts
mesh_terms: D016902:Air Pollution, Indoor / Q000009:adverse effects*; D018533:Biomass; D002908:Chronic Disease; D003296:Cooking; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D019570:Inhalation Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects; D008295:Malawi; D012906:Smoke / Q000009:adverse effects*; D016387:Women's Health
chemical_list: D012906:Smoke
keywords: Malawi; biomass fuels; cookstoves; deforestation; energy; household air pollution