Introduction and Rationale: Household Air Pollution (HAP) refers to the pollution of air in the indoor environment, from the combustion of solid fuels such as biomass and coal. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that 2.6 billion people today are exposed to HAP daily. Women and children tend to be at a higher risk of exposure due to their increased time spent indoors. This can result in a range of adverse cardio-respiratory outcomes such as asthma, Acute Lower Respiratory Infection (ALRI) and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). This thesis document investigates the association between HAP and the adverse respiratory outcomes, namely lung function, ALRI and asthma in children.
Methodology: Systematic Reviews were conducted to synthesize the effect of HAP on lung function, ALRI, and asthma. The lung function outcome was synthesized in a narrative manner, while the pooled estimates for the ALRI and asthma outcomes were synthesized by meta-analysis.
Results: Exposure to HAP is associated with decreased lung function growth, and an increased risk of the incidence of ALRI in children. No association was noted between HAP exposure and the incidence of asthma in children.
Conclusion: The effect of HAP on childhood growth of lung function and the incidence of ALRI provides evidence justifying the universal transition to cleaner fuels and technologies, such as electricity and natural gas. / Thesis / Master of Science (MSc) / Household Air Pollution (HAP) refers to the pollution of indoor air caused by the combustion of solid fuels, such as biomass, for the purposes of heating and cooking. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 2.6 billion people are exposed to HAP daily. Women and children are especially at high risk of exposure, due to the time spent indoors. This places them at a higher risk of adverse respiratory outcomes, such as Acute Lower Respiratory Tract Infection (ALRI), asthma, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) and reduced lung function. This thesis document investigates the association between HAP and the adverse respiratory outcomes, namely lung function, ALRI and asthma in children. It was found that HAP is associated with a decrease in childhood lung function growth, and an increased risk of the incidence of ALRI. However, there was no clear association between the incidence of asthma and HAP. The results of the systematic reviews justify a transition from the use of solid fuels to clean fuels and technologies.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:mcmaster.ca/oai:macsphere.mcmaster.ca:11375/27741 |
| Date | January 2022 |
| Creators | Aithal, Sathya |
| Contributors | Kurmi, Om, Global Health |
| Source Sets | McMaster University |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
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