Houseold Fuel Use And Acute Respiratoy Infctions Among Younger Children An Exposure Assessment Shebedino Woreda Southern Ethiopia

Indoor air pollution caused by the indoor burning of biomass fuels has been associated with increase riskrnof acute respiratory infections among children less than five years old in developing countries. Thisrnresearch was focused on the public health importance of solid fuel use in households, with the objective ofrninvestigating the effect of household fuel use on acute respiratory infection in younger children atrnShebedino Woreda.rnThe study design was cross-sectional, which employed an exposure assessment approach, collectingrndetailed primary data on several household-level exposure indicators through the administration of arnquestionnaire and Checklist for ARI screening in 405 households, together with qualitative data throughrnFocus Group Discussion —to supplement the knowledge, attitude and practice (KAP) response. Thernhouseholds were selected proportionally using systematic sampling scheme and guardian/mothers werernselected for the interview. Data were collected during January to February 2006. Ten data collectors,rnwho were native speakers and had similar experience were employed and trained by the principalrninvestigator and a Pediatrician for two days extensively in interviewing techniques, data recording, andrnapproaches to promote health education and child health screening. The questionnaire responses werernentered into software called EPI and analyzed using Statistical package for Social Sciences (SPSS)rnsoftware.rnARI prevalence of the study area (21%) was found to be lower as compared to the national figure (24%)rnin 2000. According to spearman’s correlation matrix for the explanatory variables, the poverty line wasrncorrelated with characteristic of the kitchen and kitchen ventilation. Moreover, educational status ofrnhead of households was correlated with characteristic and ventilation of the kitchen. Conversely, therernwas no sufficient evidence for the significant association of ARI prevalence with educational status ofrnhead of the household. Further analysis also shows that there was no sufficient evidence for thernVIIrnsignificant association of ARI prevalence with residence, means of income, number of rooms, stove type,rnand kitchen features.rnResult from the focus group discussion also revealed that most participants had the concept of healthrnimpact due to household fuel use and they also articulated that cow dung and straw would affect theirrnhealth seriously. Moreover, few participants were not aware of the impact with stove type and over threernquarter (75.8%) of the children were kept to stay indoor during the daytime.rnThe study approach appears to demonstrate a relatively consistent association between child handlingrnpractice while cooking and childhood ARI. The existing environmental and socioeconomic factor in thernstudy area has a considerable potential to contribute for environmental threats to the health of children.rnIt will be no surprise that exposure to particulate matter can be high in the rural indoor areas.rnThe research suggests further analysis in risk characterization – an in-depth understanding of thernpotential for child health risks in terms of exposure potentials.rnKey Words: ARI, Solid Fuel, Stove Type, Ventilation, KAP, Shebedino

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