Cooking or heating with solid fuels increased the all-cause mortality risk among mid-aged and elderly People in China

Effect of Household Air Pollution and Neighbourhood Deprivation on the Risk of Acute Respiratory Infection Among Under-Five Children in Chad: A Multilevel Analysis

BACKGROUND

Exposure to household air pollution (HAP) is one of the primary risk factors for acute lower respiratory infection (ARI) morbidity and mortality among children in low-income settings. This study aimed to examine the relative contribution of residing in deprived neighbourhoods and exposure to HAP on the occurrence of ARI among children using data from the 2014-2015 Chad Demographic and Health Survey (DHS).

METHODS

We applied multilevel modelling techniques to survey data of 2882 children from 372 communities to compute the odds ratio (OR) for the occurrence of ARI between children of respondents exposed to clean fuels (e.g., electricity, liquid petroleum gas, natural gas, and biogas) and respondents exposed to polluting fuel (e.g., kerosene, coal/lignite, charcoal, wood, straw/shrubs/grass, and animal dung).

RESULTS

The results showed that children exposed to household polluting fuels in Chad were 215% more likely to develop ARI than those not exposed to household air pollution (OR = 3.15; 95% CI 2.41 to 4.13). Further analysis revealed that the odds of ARI were 185% higher (OR = 2.85; 95% CI 1.73 to 4.75) among children living in rural residents and those born to teenage mothers (OR = 2.75; 95% CI 1.48 to 5.15) who were exposed to household polluting fuels compared to their counterparts who were not exposed. In summary, the results of the study show that the risk of ARI is more common among children who live in homes where household air-polluting cooking fuel is widely used, those living in rural areas, those living in socioeconomically deprived neighbourhoods and from the least wealthy households, and those born to teenage mothers in Chad.

CONCLUSIONS

In this study, an independent relative contribution of variables, such as HAP from cooking fuel, neighbourhood deprivation, living in rural areas, being from a low-income household, having a mother who is a manual labourer worker, and being given birth to by a teenage mother, to the risk of ARI among children is established.

Trends and disability-attributable risk factors of type 2 diabetes mellitus in Southeast Asia (1990-2019): An in-depth 30-year analysis from the Global Burden of Disease study

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

To provide insight on targeted approach to mitigate diabetes burden, this research aims to analyze the trends of prevalence, mortality, and disability attributable to risk factors for type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) from 1990 to 2019 in the Southeast Asia (SEA) region.

METHODS AND RESULTS

Age-standardized rates for prevalence (ASPR), mortality (ASMR), and disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) from 1990 to 2019 from the Global Burden of Disease Study were assessed. DALYs-related risk factors were estimated using multivariate regression analysis and estimated annual percentage change (EAPC) was calculated to quantify the temporal trends. Over 30 years, the SEA region experienced a 59.5 % rise in T2DM ASPR, 17.33 % in ASMR, and 26.97 % in DALYs. The T2DM DALYs rate per 100,000 population was 1002.91 (885.23-1132.40) in 1990 and 1273.42 (1103.92-1452.41) in 2019, increasing by 27 %. Cambodia and Indonesia had the highest worsening in three parameters, while most significant improvement in all parameters was observed in Singapore. The curvilinear association was demonstrated between ASMR and DALYs to Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita. Prominent risk factors affecting DALYs increase were high fasting plasma glucose (FPG) (p < 0.001), high body mass index (BMI) (p < 0.001), tobacco use (p = 0.012), and household pollution (p = 0.03). Men were more affected than women.

CONCLUSION

The burden of T2DM in the SEA region has increased significantly during the 30-year period. Policymakers should address high BMI, high FPG, smoking, and air pollution to regulate T2DM burden in SEA.

Risk assessment of unclean cooking energy usage from the perspective of subjective wellbeing: The mediating role of perceived physical and mental health

Although outdoor air pollution has been associated with adverse health outcomes and decreased subjective welfare, there has been a lack of research investigating the potential risks associated with indoor unclean cooking energy usage from the perspective of subjective wellbeing. This paper systematically assesses the risks of unclean cooking fuel usage from the novel perspective of subjective welfare and examines the mediating role of perceived physical and mental health applying a large-scale nationally representative dataset. Analytical results demonstrate that the usage of unclean cooking energy has significantly negative impacts on subjective wellbeing, and this finding has been confirmed through various robustness tests. The mechanism behind this impact is that unclean cooking fuel usage reduces people's perceived physical and mental health status, which in turn decreases their subjective wellness. Furthermore, the negative consequences of using unclean cooking energy on subjective wellbeing are particularly pronounced among certain demographic groups, including older, lower educated, married individuals as well as those with lower economic status, uncovered by medical insurance and having less social capital. Findings of this study highlight the risks linked to unclean cooking energy usage, as evidenced in the negative impact on perceived health and subjective wellbeing. In light of the increasing focus on improving indoor environment as well as enhancing people's health and wellbeing, results of this paper emphasize the significance of promoting access to cleaner and healthier energy.

Household polluting cooking fuels and intrinsic capacity among older population: A harmonized nationwide analysis in India and China

BACKGROUNDS

Household polluting cooking fuels, as an important changeable behavior, are related to various detrimental health effects among the elderly. There is limited research on the association between polluting cooking fuel use and intrinsic capacity (IC) as an indicator of healthy aging. This study aimed to evaluate the above-mentioned association in India and China, where polluting cooking fuel use is common.

METHODS

We enrolled 33,803 participants aged ≥60 years from two nationally representative studies: the Longitudinal Aging Study in India and the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study. Polluting cooking fuel use was defined as a self-report of using wood, coal, kerosene, crop residue, or dung. IC was measured by five aspects, including locomotion, cognition, vitality, sensory, and psychological capacity. The random-effects mixed linear regression and logistic regression with population weighting were performed. Multivariable-adjusted model and propensity score were used to adjust for potential confounders.

RESULTS

A total of 47.54 % and 59.32 % of elderly adults reported primary cooking using polluting fuels in India and China, respectively. Using polluting cooking fuels was consistently associated with IC decline; particularly, cognitive capacity was the most susceptible domain. In India, participants using polluting fuels had a 1.062 (95 % confidence interval [CI]: 1.047-1.078) times risk for IC deficits, whereas more prominent results were observed in China (odds ratio [OR]: 2.040, 95 % CI: 1.642-2.533). Such harmful effects might be alleviated by transferring from polluting to clean fuels. Additionally, the duration of polluting fuel use was also positively associated with IC deficits.

CONCLUSION

This study provided substantial public implications on healthy aging for the elderly population at a global scale, strengthening the importance of health education and policy efforts to accelerate the transition from polluting to clean fuels.

Housing conditions, cooking fuels, and health-related quality of life among rural middle-aged and elderly in northwest China: A ten-year balanced panel study

To investigate the impacts of improving housing conditions and transitioning to clean cooking fuels on health-related quality of life (HRQOL) among middle-aged and elderly populations in rural China.

METHODS

Using a 10-year longitudinal follow-up study, we examined changes in housing conditions, cooking fuel use, and HRQOL among 690 Chinese adults aged 45 above in rural areas. HRQOL was assessed using the European Quality of Life-5 Dimensions 3 Levels (EQ-5D-3L) questionnaire. Generalized estimating equations were utilized to analyze correlations between variables.

RESULTS

Using four-period balanced panel data of 10 years, there were significant differences in the self-reporting of mobility, self-care, usual activities, pain / discomfort and anxiety / depression in rural middle-aged and elderly people (p < 0.05). In terms of the EQ-5D index score and EQ-VAS score, showed a decreasing trend (p < 0.05). The housing area, housing material type, utilization of sanitary toilets, separation of housing and kitchen were separated and non-solid fuels used as cooking fuel were significantly associated with high HRQOL (p < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

This study found that good housing conditions and the use of non-solid cooking fuel had positive effects on health-related quality of life of middle-aged and elderly people in rural areas of northwest China.