Household air pollution exposure and risk of tuberculosis: a case–control study of women in Lilongwe, Malawi
Introduction Globally, 3–4 billion people rely on solid fuels for cooking, and 1 billion use kerosene to light their homes. While household air pollution (HAP) emitted from burning these fuels has well-established links to numerous health outcomes, the relationship between active tuberculosis (TB) a...
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| Format: | Article |
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BMJ Publishing Group
2024-07-01
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| Series: | BMJ Public Health |
| Online Access: | https://bmjpublichealth.bmj.com/content/2/1/e000176.full |
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| author | Kenneth Maleta Robert Krysiak Irving Hoffman Sam Phiri Pamela Jagger Ryan McCord Anna Gallerani Charles Jumbe Joseph Pedit |
| author_facet | Kenneth Maleta Robert Krysiak Irving Hoffman Sam Phiri Pamela Jagger Ryan McCord Anna Gallerani Charles Jumbe Joseph Pedit |
| author_sort | Kenneth Maleta |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Introduction Globally, 3–4 billion people rely on solid fuels for cooking, and 1 billion use kerosene to light their homes. While household air pollution (HAP) emitted from burning these fuels has well-established links to numerous health outcomes, the relationship between active tuberculosis (TB) and HAP exposure remains inconclusive.Methods We explore the association between HAP exposure and TB among adult women in Lilongwe’s high-density suburbs using hospital and community-based health data, objectively measured exposure to HAP, and sociodemographic data controlling for individual, household and community-level confounders. Only one other study combines public health, exposure and sociodemographic data to explore the association between HAP and TB. We report results from a case–control study of 377 primary cooks (76 cases; 301 controls) on the association between risk of developing active TB and HAP exposure. We calculate ORs for developing active TB using indicators of HAP exposure including primary fuel used for cooking, cooking location and frequency of kerosene use for lighting, and in a subset of households, by directly measured cooking area and personal exposure to fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and carbon monoxide.Results We are unable to find an association between self-reported cooking with solid fuels and TB in our sample; we do find that increased frequency of kerosene use for lighting is associated with significantly higher odds of TB. Household area PM2.5 concentration is the only direct HAP measure associated with significantly higher odds of TB. We find that 16.8% of the relationship between TB and kerosene use is mediated by increases in area PM2.5.Conclusion Our findings suggest that efforts to reduce the risk of active TB within the home environment should include strategies to reduce or eliminate kerosene, commonly used for lighting and cooking in many low-income country settings. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-303ab87279764f9f893df09f973149b1 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2753-4294 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-07-01 |
| publisher | BMJ Publishing Group |
| record_format | Article |
| series | BMJ Public Health |
| spelling | doaj-art-303ab87279764f9f893df09f973149b12025-01-28T18:30:09ZengBMJ Publishing GroupBMJ Public Health2753-42942024-07-012110.1136/bmjph-2023-000176Household air pollution exposure and risk of tuberculosis: a case–control study of women in Lilongwe, MalawiKenneth Maleta0Robert Krysiak1Irving Hoffman2Sam Phiri3Pamela Jagger4Ryan McCord5Anna Gallerani6Charles Jumbe7Joseph Pedit8School of Public Health, University of Malawi College of Medicine, Blantyre, MalawiUniversity of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USAPediatrics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USAPartners in Health Malawi, Lilongwe, MalawiUniversity of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USADuke University, Durham, North Carolina, USADuke University, Durham, North Carolina, USALilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Lilongwe, MalawiUniversity of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USAIntroduction Globally, 3–4 billion people rely on solid fuels for cooking, and 1 billion use kerosene to light their homes. While household air pollution (HAP) emitted from burning these fuels has well-established links to numerous health outcomes, the relationship between active tuberculosis (TB) and HAP exposure remains inconclusive.Methods We explore the association between HAP exposure and TB among adult women in Lilongwe’s high-density suburbs using hospital and community-based health data, objectively measured exposure to HAP, and sociodemographic data controlling for individual, household and community-level confounders. Only one other study combines public health, exposure and sociodemographic data to explore the association between HAP and TB. We report results from a case–control study of 377 primary cooks (76 cases; 301 controls) on the association between risk of developing active TB and HAP exposure. We calculate ORs for developing active TB using indicators of HAP exposure including primary fuel used for cooking, cooking location and frequency of kerosene use for lighting, and in a subset of households, by directly measured cooking area and personal exposure to fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and carbon monoxide.Results We are unable to find an association between self-reported cooking with solid fuels and TB in our sample; we do find that increased frequency of kerosene use for lighting is associated with significantly higher odds of TB. Household area PM2.5 concentration is the only direct HAP measure associated with significantly higher odds of TB. We find that 16.8% of the relationship between TB and kerosene use is mediated by increases in area PM2.5.Conclusion Our findings suggest that efforts to reduce the risk of active TB within the home environment should include strategies to reduce or eliminate kerosene, commonly used for lighting and cooking in many low-income country settings.https://bmjpublichealth.bmj.com/content/2/1/e000176.full |
| spellingShingle | Kenneth Maleta Robert Krysiak Irving Hoffman Sam Phiri Pamela Jagger Ryan McCord Anna Gallerani Charles Jumbe Joseph Pedit Household air pollution exposure and risk of tuberculosis: a case–control study of women in Lilongwe, Malawi BMJ Public Health |
| title | Household air pollution exposure and risk of tuberculosis: a case–control study of women in Lilongwe, Malawi |
| title_full | Household air pollution exposure and risk of tuberculosis: a case–control study of women in Lilongwe, Malawi |
| title_fullStr | Household air pollution exposure and risk of tuberculosis: a case–control study of women in Lilongwe, Malawi |
| title_full_unstemmed | Household air pollution exposure and risk of tuberculosis: a case–control study of women in Lilongwe, Malawi |
| title_short | Household air pollution exposure and risk of tuberculosis: a case–control study of women in Lilongwe, Malawi |
| title_sort | household air pollution exposure and risk of tuberculosis a case control study of women in lilongwe malawi |
| url | https://bmjpublichealth.bmj.com/content/2/1/e000176.full |
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