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Cooking Fuel and Risk of Under-Five Mortality in 23 Sub-Saharan African Countries: A Population-Based Study
Authors: Patrick Opiyo Owili, Miriam Adoyo Muga, Wen-Chi Pan, and Hsien-Wen Kuo
Source: International Journal of Environmental Health Research, 27(3): 191-204; DOI: 10.1080/09603123.2017.1332347
Topic(s): Childhood mortality
Children under five
Household solid fuel use
Pollution
Country: Africa
  Multiple African Countries
Published: JUN 2017
Abstract: Relationship between cooking fuel and under-five mortality has not been adequately established in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). We therefore investigated the association between cooking fuel and risk of under-five mortality in SSA, and further investigated its interaction with smoking. Using the most recent Demographic Health Survey data of 23 SSA countries (n = 783,691), Cox proportional hazard was employed to determine the association between cooking fuel and risk of under-five deaths. The adjusted hazard ratios were 1.21 (95 % CI, 1.10-1.34) and 1.20 (95 % CI, 1.08-1.32) for charcoal and biomass cooking fuel, respectively, compared to clean fuels. There was no positive interaction between biomass cooking fuel and smoking. Use of charcoal and biomass were associated with the risk of under-five mortality in SSA. Disseminating public health information on health risks of cooking fuel and development of relevant public health policies are likely to have a positive impact on a child's survival. Keywords: Indoor air pollution; Sub-Saharan Africa; cooking fuel; under-five mortality.
Web: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/09603123.2017.1332347