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Padma Sri Lekha P, Irshad CV, Abdul Azeez EP, Premkumar A. Association of Exposure to Indoor Air Pollution with Unhealthy Symptoms among Middle-aged and Older Adults in India: Evidence from a Large-scale Survey. ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH INSIGHTS 2024; 18:11786302241257819. [PMID: 38863689 PMCID: PMC11165961 DOI: 10.1177/11786302241257819] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2024] [Accepted: 05/12/2024] [Indexed: 06/13/2024]
Abstract
Background The usage of solid cooking fuels is widely prevalent in low and middle-income countries, including India, and contributes to indoor air pollution (IAP), which has detrimental health effects. Moreover, time spent inside the house increases as people age. In this context, the present study tried to understand the association between exposure to indoor air pollution and unhealthy symptoms, including shortness of breath, dizziness, headache, fatigue, wheezing, and cough among middle-aged and older adults in India. Methods We extracted the unit-level individual data (N = 63 790) from the Longitudinal Aging Study in India (LASI)-Wave 1 (2017-2018). The statistical analyses used were Chi-square test and binary logistic regression, which estimated the odds ratio to identify the determinants of the unhealthy symptoms. Results The odds of shortness of breath (adjusted OR: 1.14, 99% CI: 1.05-1.23), dizziness (adjusted OR: 1.28, 99% CI: 1.21-1.35), fatigue (adjusted OR: 1.32, 99% CI: 1.26-1.39), wheezing (adjusted OR: 1.30, 99% CI: 1.19-1.42), and cough (adjusted OR: 1.36, 99% CI: 1.27-1.45) were higher among individuals from households where solid cooking fuels was used. Similarly, the odds of shortness of breath, headache, wheezing, and cough were higher among individuals with a household member who smoked inside the house. The results indicated that the odds of shortness of breath, headache, and cough were significantly lower among participants exposed to incense use. Conclusion Based on the results of this study, we suggest developing programs to combat the sources of indoor air pollution and the associated unhealthy symptoms, especially in rural settings. It is also important to bring awareness and practice clean fuel usage at individual and community levels to improve population health.
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Affiliation(s)
- P Padma Sri Lekha
- School of Social Sciences and Languages, Vellore Institute of Technology, Vellore, Tamil Nadu, India
| | - C V Irshad
- School of Social Sciences and Languages, Vellore Institute of Technology, Vellore, Tamil Nadu, India
| | - E P Abdul Azeez
- School of Social Sciences and Languages, Vellore Institute of Technology, Vellore, Tamil Nadu, India
| | - A Premkumar
- Department of Economics, Kristu Jayanti College (Autonomous), Bengaluru, Karnataka, India
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Rafiq L, Zahra Naqvi SH, Shahzad L, Ali SM. Exploring the links between indoor air pollutants and health outcomes in South Asian countries: a systematic review. REVIEWS ON ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH 2023; 38:741-752. [PMID: 36302378 DOI: 10.1515/reveh-2022-0154] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2022] [Accepted: 10/09/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Indoor air pollution (IAP) has adverse effects on the health of people, globally. The objective of this systematic review was to present the range of health problems studied in association with indoor air pollutants in South Asian countries. We searched five databases, including PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, Google Scholar, and CAB Direct for articles published between the years 2000 and 2020. We retrieved 5,810 articles, out of which we included 90 articles in our review. Among South Asian countries, only five countries have published results related to relationship between indoor air pollutants and adverse health conditions. All studies have shown adversity of indoor air pollutants on human's health. We found indoor solid fuel burning as a key source of indoor air pollution in the included studies, while women and children were most affected by their exposure to solid fuel burning. More than half of the studies accounted particulate matter responsible for indoor air pollution bearing negative health effects. In the included studies, eyes and lungs were the most commonly affected body organs, exhibiting common symptoms like cough, breathing difficulty and wheezing. This might have developed into common conditions like respiratory tract infection, chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases and eye cataract. In addition to promote research in South Asian countries, future research should focus on novel digital ways of capturing effects of indoor air pollutants among vulnerable segments of the population. As a result of this new knowledge, public health agencies should develop and test interventions to reduce people's exposure levels and prevent them to develop adverse health outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laiba Rafiq
- Sustainable Development Study Centre, Faculty of Mathematical and Physical Sciences, Government College University, Lahore, Pakistan
| | - Syeda Hamayal Zahra Naqvi
- Sustainable Development Study Centre, Faculty of Mathematical and Physical Sciences, Government College University, Lahore, Pakistan
| | - Laila Shahzad
- Sustainable Development Study Centre, Faculty of Mathematical and Physical Sciences, Government College University, Lahore, Pakistan
| | - Syed Mustafa Ali
- Center of Epidemiology Versus Arthritis, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
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Dehghani S, Yousefi S, Oskoei V, Tazik M, Moradi MS, Shaabani M, Vali M. Ecological study on household air pollution exposure and prevalent chronic disease in the elderly. Sci Rep 2023; 13:11763. [PMID: 37474604 PMCID: PMC10359274 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-39059-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2023] [Accepted: 07/19/2023] [Indexed: 07/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Older people spend most of their time indoors. Limited evidence demonstrates that exposure to indoor air pollutants might be related to chronic complications. This study aimed to estimate the correlation between household air pollution (HAP)'s long-term exposure and the prevalence of elevated hypertension, diabetes mellitus (DM), obesity, and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol. From the Global Burden disease dataset, we extracted HAP, hypertension, DM, body mass index, and LDL cholesterol data from Iran from 1990 to 2019 to males and females in people over 50 years. We present APC and AAPC and their confidence intervals using Joinpoint Software statistical software. R software examined the correlation between HAP and hypertension, DM2, Obesity, and high LDL cholesterol. Our finding showed a significant and positive correlation between HAP exposure and prevalence of high low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (p ≤ 0.001, r = 0.70), high systolic blood pressure (p ≤ 0.001, r = 0.63), and high body mass index (p ≤ 0.001, r = 0.57), and DM2 (p ≤ 0.001, r = 0.38). The analysis results also illustrated a positive correlation between indoor air pollution and smoking (p ≤ 0.001, r = 0.92). HAP exposure might be a risk factor for elevated blood pressure, DM, obesity, and LDL cholesterol and, consequently, more serious health problems. According to our results, smoking is one of the sources of HAP. However, ecological studies cannot fully support causal relationships, and this article deals only with Iran. Our findings should be corroborated in personal exposure and biomonitoring approach studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samaneh Dehghani
- Department of Environmental Health Engineering, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
- Student's Scientific Research Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Somayeh Yousefi
- Department of Environmental Health Engineering, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Vahide Oskoei
- School of Life and Environmental Science, Deakin University, Geelong, Australia
| | - Moslem Tazik
- Department of Environmental Health Engineering, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Mohammad Sanyar Moradi
- Department of Occupational Health and Safety Engineering, School of Health, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
| | - Mahmood Shaabani
- Education (and Training) Office of Hendijan, Hendijan, Khuzestan, Iran
| | - Mohebat Vali
- Department of Epidemiology, School of Health, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran.
- Student Research Committee, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran.
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Sahoo KC, Dash GC, Panda S, Kshatri JS, Uddin A, Pattnaik M, Sahoo RK, Diwedi R, Palo SK, Bhattacharya D, Pati S. Impact of smokeless cooking fuel use on health status of women in a rural setting of eastern India. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH RESEARCH 2023; 33:464-472. [PMID: 35128996 DOI: 10.1080/09603123.2022.2035324] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2021] [Accepted: 01/24/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
The sustainable development goals (SDG 7.1) reinforce to ensure that everyone has access to affordable, safe and renewable energy. In India, women are typically responsible for cooking and are most vulnerable to household air contaminants. We conducted a descriptive cross-sectional comparative study in Odisha, India between exclusive LPG (liquefied petroleum gas) users and non-LPG users. A total of 900 women, 450 from each group, were randomly selected. The LPG-users had a better predictor of physical, psychological, social, and environmental wellbeing than non-LPG users. We found the ophthalmic disorders (adjusted odds ratio (AOR) 2.87, 95% CI 1.16-7.10, p = .023), asthma (AOR 2.05, 95% CI 1.15-3.65, p = .015), and ALRI (acute lower respiratory infections) (AOR 9.19, 95% CI 2.06-40.96, p < .004) were significantly higher in non-LPG users in comparison to LPG users. Access to smokeless cooking fuel will improve women's quality of life by eliminating the consumption of biofuel and thereby providing a healthier cooking environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Krushna Chandra Sahoo
- ICMR-Regional Medical Research Centre, Department of Health Research, Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Government of India, Bhubaneswar, India
| | - Girish Chandra Dash
- ICMR-Regional Medical Research Centre, Department of Health Research, Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Government of India, Bhubaneswar, India
| | - Subhashree Panda
- ICMR-Regional Medical Research Centre, Department of Health Research, Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Government of India, Bhubaneswar, India
| | - Jaya Singh Kshatri
- ICMR-Regional Medical Research Centre, Department of Health Research, Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Government of India, Bhubaneswar, India
| | - Azhar Uddin
- ICMR-Regional Medical Research Centre, Department of Health Research, Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Government of India, Bhubaneswar, India
| | - Matrujyoti Pattnaik
- ICMR-Regional Medical Research Centre, Department of Health Research, Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Government of India, Bhubaneswar, India
| | - Rakesh Kumar Sahoo
- ICMR-Regional Medical Research Centre, Department of Health Research, Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Government of India, Bhubaneswar, India
| | - Rinshu Diwedi
- ICMR-Regional Medical Research Centre, Department of Health Research, Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Government of India, Bhubaneswar, India
| | - Subrat Kumar Palo
- ICMR-Regional Medical Research Centre, Department of Health Research, Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Government of India, Bhubaneswar, India
| | - Debdutta Bhattacharya
- ICMR-Regional Medical Research Centre, Department of Health Research, Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Government of India, Bhubaneswar, India
| | - Sanghamitra Pati
- ICMR-Regional Medical Research Centre, Department of Health Research, Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Government of India, Bhubaneswar, India
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Abba MS, Nduka CU, Anjorin S, Uthman OA. Household Air Pollution and High Blood Pressure: A Secondary Analysis of the 2016 Albania Demographic Health and Survey Dataset. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2022; 19:ijerph19052611. [PMID: 35270304 PMCID: PMC8909881 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph19052611] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2021] [Revised: 02/18/2022] [Accepted: 02/18/2022] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
Background: Hypertension is a significant public health problem in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). This study aimed to examine the association between household air pollution (HAP) and blood pressure using data from the 2016 Albania Demographic Health and Survey (DHS). Methods: We computed the odds ratio (OR) for the prevalence of hypertension between 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). Result: The results show that participants exposed to household polluting fuels in Albania were 17% more likely to develop hypertension than those not exposed to household air pollution (OR = 1.17, 95% CI 1.10 to 1.24). Subgroup analysis revealed that the odds of hypertension were more significant among women (OR = 1.22, 95% CI 1.13 to 1.31), rural residents (OR = 1.12, 95% CI 1.04 to 1.22), and participants aged >24 years (OR = 1.35, 95% CI 1.12 to 1.62) who were exposed to household polluting fuels compared to their counterparts who were not exposed. In summary, the results of the study show significant associations between household air pollution and hypertension risk overall, especially among women, rural dwellers, and people aged >24 years in Albania. Conclusion: In this study, an association between household air pollution and the risk of hypertension was found, particularly among low-income households, those with no education, women, and those who live in rural areas.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mustapha S. Abba
- Division of Health Sciences, Warwick Medical School, The University of Warwick, Coventry CV4 7AL, UK; (C.U.N.); (S.A.)
- Correspondence:
| | - Chidozie U. Nduka
- Division of Health Sciences, Warwick Medical School, The University of Warwick, Coventry CV4 7AL, UK; (C.U.N.); (S.A.)
| | - Seun Anjorin
- Division of Health Sciences, Warwick Medical School, The University of Warwick, Coventry CV4 7AL, UK; (C.U.N.); (S.A.)
| | - Olalekan A. Uthman
- Warwick Centre for Global Health, Division of Health Sciences, University of Warwick Medical School, Coventry CV4 7AL, UK;
- Division of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Department of Global Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, Stellenbosch University, Francie van Zijl Drive, Tygerberg, Cape Town 7505, South Africa
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Khan JR, Hossain MB, Gupta RD. Household cooking fuels associated with elevated blood pressure among adult women: a national-wide assessment in Bangladesh. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2021; 28:67814-67821. [PMID: 34268688 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-021-15344-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2021] [Accepted: 07/04/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Household air pollution from cooking fuel may have adverse health effects, particularly among women from countries like Bangladesh, where women participate in most household cooking activities. However, little is known about how cooking fuel influences adult women's blood pressure (BP) status in Bangladesh. This study assessed the association between household cooking fuel and women's BP in Bangladesh. Data of 6543 women (aged ≥18 years) from the latest nationally representative Bangladesh Demographic and health survey 2017-18 were used in this study. This survey collected data on various variables, including women's BP and cooking fuel. Multivariable regression models were used for this evaluation. About 82.3% of women were living in households using solid cooking fuel. Women's average systolic BP (SBP) and diastolic BP (DBP) were 121.5 mmHg and 80.7 mmHg, respectively, and 25% had elevated BP. Women residing in a household using solid fuel had significantly higher SBP (β 3.76 mmHg, 95 confidence interval (CI) 2.00, 5.51) and DBP (β 1.17 mmHg, 95% CI 0.17, 2.18) relative to women from households using clean fuel. The odds of elevated BP was 58% higher (adjusted odds ratio, 1.58, 95% CI 1.19, 2.11) among women residing in households using solid fuels compared to their counterparts. Usage of solid cooking fuel was predominantly high and negatively impacted women's BP status in Bangladesh. In addition to other lifestyle change interventions, improved cooking facilities and clean cooking fuel provision and monitoring could be important initiatives to reduce the burden of elevated BP among women.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jahidur Rahman Khan
- Health Research Institute, Faculty of Health, University of Canberra, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, 2617, Australia.
- Department of Climate and Environmental Health, Biomedical Research Foundation, Dhaka, Bangladesh.
| | - Md Belal Hossain
- School of Population and Public Health, University of British Columbia, 2206 East Mall, Vancouver, British Columbia, V6T 1Z3, Canada
- BRAC James P Grant School of Public Health, BRAC University, Mohakhali, Dhaka, 1212, Bangladesh
| | - Rajat Das Gupta
- BRAC James P Grant School of Public Health, BRAC University, Mohakhali, Dhaka, 1212, Bangladesh
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Arnold School of Public Health, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, 29208, USA
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James BS, Shetty RS, Kamath A, Shetty A. Household cooking fuel use and its health effects among rural women in southern India-A cross-sectional study. PLoS One 2020; 15:e0231757. [PMID: 32339177 PMCID: PMC7185712 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0231757] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2019] [Accepted: 04/01/2020] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The use of biomass fuel is associated with the deterioration of human health and women are more likely to develop health conditions due to their exposure to indoor air pollution during cooking. This study was conducted to assess the pattern of fuel used for cooking in households as well as to determine the association between the types of fuel used with respect to socio-demographic characteristics and health status of women. A community based cross-sectional survey was conducted between August 2016 and September 2018 in four rural areas and one semi-urban area of Udupi district, Karnataka, India. The study comprised 587 families including 632 women. A pre-tested semi-structured questionnaire was used to collect data on the type of fuel as well as self-reported health conditions. Overall, 72.5% of the families used biomass, where 67.2% families were currently using both biomass and liquefied petroleum gas while only biomass was used in 5.3% of the families for cooking. Among women, being ever exposed to biomass fuel was significantly associated with their age, literacy level, occupation and socio-economic status (p < 0.001). Those who were exposed to biomass fuel showed a significant association with self-reported ophthalmic (AOR = 3.85; 95% CI: 1.79–8.29), respiratory (OR = 5.04; 95% CI: 2.52–10.07), cardiovascular (OR = 6.07; 95% CI: 1.88–19.67), dermatological symptoms /conditions (AOR = 3.67; 95% CI: 1.07–12.55) and history of adverse obstetric outcomes (AOR = 2.45; 95% CI: 1.08–5.57). A positive trend was observed between cumulative exposure to biomass in hour-years and various self-reported health symptoms/conditions (p < 0.001). It was observed that more than two-thirds of women using biomass fuel for cooking were positively associated with self-reported health symptoms. Further longitudinal studies are essential to determine the level of harmful air pollutants in household environment and its association with various health conditions among women in this region.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Ranjitha S. Shetty
- Department of Community Medicine, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Kasturba Medical College Manipal, Manipal, Karnataka, India
- * E-mail:
| | - Asha Kamath
- Department of Data Science, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Prasanna School of Public Health, Manipal, Karnataka, India
| | - Avinash Shetty
- Department of Community Medicine, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Kasturba Medical College Manipal, Manipal, Karnataka, India
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Li L, Yang A, He X, Liu J, Ma Y, Niu J, Luo B. Indoor air pollution from solid fuels and hypertension: A systematic review and meta-analysis. ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION (BARKING, ESSEX : 1987) 2020; 259:113914. [PMID: 31935611 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2020.113914] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2019] [Revised: 12/29/2019] [Accepted: 01/02/2020] [Indexed: 05/09/2023]
Abstract
Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) are leading global health issue. More studies have linked indoor air pollution from solid fuel usage to hypertension risk, a leading risk factor for CVD. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies assessing the relationship of indoor air pollution from solid fuel with hypertension risk. Using a protocol standardized a priori, two independent reviewers searched PubMed, the Cochrane Library, Ovid MEDLINE, Web of Science and EMBASE for available studies published before Dec.1, 2019. A random effects model was used to analyse the pooled results. Out of 3740 articles, 47 were reviewed in depth and 11 contributing to this meta-analysis. The use of household solid fuel was significantly associated with an increased risk of hypertension (OR = 1.52, 95% CI = 1.26 to 1.85). The smoking-controlled group (OR = 2.38, 95% CI = 1.58 to 3.60) had greater effect size of hypertension than the uncontrolled group (OR = 1.11, 95% CI = 1.10 to 1.11). These findings implicate that indoor air pollution from solid fuel may be an important risk factor for hypertension.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lanyu Li
- Institute of Occupational Health and Environmental Health, School of Public Health, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, Gansu, 730000, People's Republic of China
| | - Aiming Yang
- Hong Kong Institute of Diabetes and Obesity, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Xiaotao He
- Institute of Occupational Health and Environmental Health, School of Public Health, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, Gansu, 730000, People's Republic of China
| | - Jiangtao Liu
- Institute of Occupational Health and Environmental Health, School of Public Health, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, Gansu, 730000, People's Republic of China
| | - Yueling Ma
- Institute of Occupational Health and Environmental Health, School of Public Health, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, Gansu, 730000, People's Republic of China
| | - Jingping Niu
- Institute of Occupational Health and Environmental Health, School of Public Health, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, Gansu, 730000, People's Republic of China
| | - Bin Luo
- Institute of Occupational Health and Environmental Health, School of Public Health, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, Gansu, 730000, People's Republic of China; Shanghai Key Laboratory of Meteorology and Health, Shanghai, 200030, People's Republic of China.
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Demissie F, Yeshitela K, Rouleau M, Flaspohler D, Kindu M. Socio-economic importance of forest resources and their conservation measures in Ethiopia: the case of area closure in South Gonder of Ethiopia. ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING AND ASSESSMENT 2019; 191:437. [PMID: 31203558 DOI: 10.1007/s10661-019-7569-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2019] [Accepted: 05/27/2019] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Area closures that set aside to degraded lands for rehabilitation purposes are a popular forest conservation measure in various parts of the world. However, their use can be controversial because, if poorly designed, they can accelerate the degradation of neighboring unprotected lands and deny local residents' access to important ecosystem services. This paper reports the results of a study on the area closure approach used in south Gonder within the Lake Tana watershed of Ethiopia to stem the rapid decline of vegetation cover that has occurred there over the last four decades. We used a mixed-methods approach that combined data from a household survey, focus group discussions, key informant interviews, and official documents. We found that support for the area closures was high. We also found that area closures have had a mixed effect on access to key ecosystem services while a number of important concerns about the negative impacts to surrounding unprotected forests were also expressed. We conclude that area closures have garnered broad public support within our study region but this support appears to be mostly contingent on management successes within protected forests and does not necessarily capture the unintended negative consequences to surrounding unprotected forests.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fikirte Demissie
- Ethiopian Institute of Architecture, Building Construction and City Development (EiABC), Addis Ababa University, P.O. Box 518, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
- Department of Geography and Environmental Studies, Bahir Dar University, P.O.Box 79, Bahir Dar, Ethiopia.
| | - Kumelachew Yeshitela
- Ethiopian Institute of Architecture, Building Construction and City Development (EiABC), Addis Ababa University, P.O. Box 518, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
| | - Mark Rouleau
- Michigan Technological University, Houghton, MI, 49931, USA
| | | | - Mengistie Kindu
- Institute of Forest Management, Department of Ecology and Ecosystem Management, TUM School of Life Sciences Weihenstephan, Technische Universität München, Hans-Carl-von-Carlowitz-Platz 2, 85354, Freising, Germany
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