Household type of fuel and low birth weight in newborns in Zimbabwe : findings from the 2014 multiple indicator cluster survey

Abstract

There are relatively few studies on the association between type of fuel used in the kitchen and birth weight; and findings are inconsistent. The aim of this study was to further investigate whether there is association between the type of fuel used in a household and low birth weight in newborns. Secondary data from the Zimbabwe Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey 2014(ZMICS2014) was analyzed. From 3910 children who were born during the two years prior to the survey, only 3221 were weighed at the time of their birth. Bivariate and multivariable logistic regression analyses were used to assess associations between type of fuel in household and low birth weight. In bivariate analysis, the odds ratio of giving low birth weight baby was 1.17 times higher in the mothers from households that use biomass, (OR: 1.17, 95% CI: 0.88, 1.57, P=0.281) in comparison to the reference group. After adjusting, for household socio-demographic, maternal and fetal characteristics this weak positive, non-significant association persisted, (OR: 1.17, 95% CI: 0.85, 1.61, P=0.342). When women’s perception of size of their babies at birth, a variable that exists for most of the children was used instead of the birth weight a statistically significant association was observed between the use of biomass fuel and low birth weight, (OR: 1.33, 95% CI: 1.04, 1.68, P=0.021). The association between use of biomass fuel and birth weight was not significant in any of the analyses. At the same time, there was a positive, significant association between biomass fuel use and small size of the baby by the mother’s perception. Also, among mothers for whom birth weight was available, mother’s perception of the baby’s size at birth was significantly associated with birth weight. On balance, an association between biomass fuel use and low birth weight in Zimbabwe cannot be ruled out, even though no significant association was observed in this study. Further research is clearly needed on this important topic.