Prevalence of exposure to cooking-based polluting fuels and biofuels of residents aged 40 years and above in some regions of Hunan Province / 公共卫生与预防医学

ABSTRACT

Objective To investigate the prevalence of exposure to cooking-based polluting fuels and biofuels of residents aged over 40 years in some regions of Hunan Province, and to provide a basis for future prevention and control of the pollutant fuels. Methods The present survey was carried out on residents from five chronic obstructive pulmonary disease surveillance sites in Hunan Province in 2019. A multi-stage stratified cluster sampling strategy was conducted to determine resident participants for the present study. A face-to-face inquiry survey was used to collect the relevant data of the participants. After complex weighting of the samples, the prevalence of residents’ exposure to the pollutant fuel and biofuel was analyzed. Results A total of 2 981 residents aged 40 years and above were included in the analysis. With complex weighting, the exposure rate of polluting fuels and biofuels were 19.69%（95%CI：18.11%-21.27%）and 16.14%（95%CI：14.66%-17.62%）, respectively, among residents aged over 40 years in Hunan. The exposure rates of polluting fuels and biomass fuels were both higher in females than males, and higher in rural areas than urban areas (both P<0.05). The exposure rates of polluting fuels and biomass fuels both decreased with age and education level (both P<0.05). Conclusion The use of polluting fuels and biomass fuels for cooking among residents aged 40 years and above is still popular in some regions of Hunan Province. Appropriate measures should be taken toward rural women to reduce their exposure to polluting fuels and biofuels.