Frontiers in Public Health (Dec 2022)

Association of household fuel with acute respiratory infection (ARI) under-five years children in Bangladesh

  • Md. Aminul Islam,
  • Md. Aminul Islam,
  • Mohammad Nayeem Hasan,
  • Mohammad Nayeem Hasan,
  • Tanvir Ahammed,
  • Aniqua Anjum,
  • Ananya Majumder,
  • M. Noor-E-Alam Siddiqui,
  • Sanjoy Kumar Mukharjee,
  • Khandokar Fahmida Sultana,
  • Sabrin Sultana,
  • Md. Jakariya,
  • Prosun Bhattacharya,
  • Samuel Asumadu Sarkodie,
  • Kuldeep Dhama,
  • Jubayer Mumin,
  • Firoz Ahmed

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2022.985445
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 10

Abstract

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In developing countries, acute respiratory infections (ARIs) cause a significant number of deaths among children. According to Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey (BDHS), about 25% of the deaths in children under-five years are caused by ARI in Bangladesh every year. Low-income families frequently rely on wood, coal, and animal excrement for cooking. However, it is unclear whether using alternative fuels offers a health benefit over solid fuels. To clear this doubt, we conducted a study to investigate the effects of fuel usage on ARI in children. In this study, we used the latest BDHS 2017–18 survey data collected by the Government of Bangladesh (GoB) and estimated the effects of fuel use on ARI by constructing multivariable logistic regression models. From the analysis, we found that the crude (the only type of fuel in the model) odds ratio (OR) for ARI is 1.69 [95% confidence interval (CI): 1.06–2.71]. This suggests that children in families using contaminated fuels are 69.3% more likely to experience an ARI episode than children in households using clean fuels. After adjusting for cooking fuel, type of roof material, child's age (months), and sex of the child–the effect of solid fuels is similar to the adjusted odds ratio (AOR) for ARI (OR: 1.69, 95% CI: 1.05–2.72). This implies that an ARI occurrence is 69.2% more likely when compared to the effect of clean fuel. This study found a statistically significant association between solid fuel consumption and the occurrence of ARI in children in households. The correlation between indoor air pollution and clinical parameters of ARI requires further investigation. Our findings will also help other researchers and policymakers to take comprehensive actions by considering fuel type as a risk factor as well as taking proper steps to solve this issue.

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