Respiratory effects among non smoking women in relation to household cooking fuel uses: liquefied petroleum gas only, coal only and both liquefied petroleum gas and coal in Tu Liem Suburban District Hanoi Vietnam

Abstract

Background: Indoor air pollution due to cooking fuel was significantly ascribed to global disease burden, especially in developing countries. More than 2 million people in Vietnam use beehive coal as daily cooking fuel. To the best knowledge, data on health effects owing to cooking fuel emission in Vietnam are limited. The study endeavour to compare burden of coal use for cooking with that of gas and both gas and coal use in relation to respiratory effects among women in Tu Liem district as well as determines other factors that associate with respiratory effects. Method: This is a cross-sectional study with the participation of 402 non-smoking women who divided into 3 groups, which are gas use only, coal use only and both coal and gas use for cooking. These women were selected by multi-stage sampling technique. Data on cooking fuel practices, house environments, socio-demographic factors and six respiratory symptoms including cough, phlegm, both cough and phlegm with or without cold for 1 month or more, shortness of breath (SOB) when hurrying on level ground, wheeze with SOB in adulthood, current Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) were collected by interview structured questionnaire. Data were analyzed by bivariate analysis with univariable logistic regression; and multivariable logistic regression with p-value ≤ 0.15. Results: In the bivariate analysis findings, six respiratory effects were found the association with kind of fuel use, number of years used beehive coal and biomass, dampness and mould status, distance of house location to main road and farmland, socio-demographic factors. However, in the multivariable logistic regression models after the adjustment with socio-demographic factors, house conditions; only number of years used beehive coal and biomass positively associated with all six respiratory effects. Meanwhile, other factors including dampness and mould status, exposure to cooking emissions from neighboring households, exposure to gas or chemical fumes in workplace just positively associated with some of respiratory effects. There were two factors showed negative relationships with several respiratory symptoms and illness, which were distance from house location to farmland and main road with OR=0.999 and 0.998, 95%CI=0.998-1 and 0.997-0.999 respectively. Conclusion: The longer exposure to beehive coal and biomass emissions is; the higher risk of respiratory impairments is. The intervention or action should be taken to improve the awareness of community about the choice of safer cooking fuel.