Early life ambient air pollution, household fuel use, and under-5 mortality in Ghana
Moro, Ali; Nonterah, Engelbert A; Klipstein-Grobusch, Kerstin; Oladokun, Samuel; Welaga, Paul; Ansah, Patrick O; Hystad, Perry; Vermeulen, Roel; Oduro, Abraham R; Downward, George
(2024) Environment International, volume 187
(Article)
Abstract
INTRODUCTION: Environmental exposures, such as ambient air pollution and household fuel use affect health and under-5 mortality (U5M) but there is a paucity of data in the Global South. This study examined early-life exposure to ambient particulate matter with a diameter of 2.5 µm or less (PM2.5), alongside household characteristics
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(including self-reported household fuel use), and their relationship with U5M in the Navrongo Health and Demographic Surveillance Site (HDSS) in northern Ghana. METHODS: We employed Satellite-based spatiotemporal models to estimate the annual average PM2.5 concentrations with the Navrongo HDSS area (1998 to 2016). Early-life exposure levels were determined by pollution estimates at birth year. Socio-demographic and household data, including cooking fuel, were gathered during routine surveillance. Cox proportional hazards models were applied to assess the link between early-life PM2.5 exposure and U5M, accounting for child, maternal, and household factors. FINDINGS: We retrospectively studied 48,352 children born between 2007 and 2017, with 1872 recorded deaths, primarily due to malaria, sepsis, and acute respiratory infection. Mean early-life PM2.5 was 39.3 µg/m3, and no significant association with U5M was observed. However, Children from households using "unclean" cooking fuels (wood, charcoal, dung, and agricultural waste) faced a 73 % higher risk of death compared to those using clean fuels (adjusted HR = 1.73; 95 % CI: 1.29, 2.33). Being born female or to mothers aged 20-34 years were linked to increased survival probabilities. INTERPRETATION: The use of "unclean" cooking fuel in the Navrongo HDSS was associated with under-5 mortality, highlighting the need to improve indoor air quality by introducing cleaner fuels.
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Keywords: Air Pollutants/analysis, Air Pollution, Indoor/statistics & numerical data, Air Pollution/statistics & numerical data, Child Mortality, Child, Preschool, Cooking, Environmental Exposure/statistics & numerical data, Family Characteristics, Female, Ghana, Humans, Infant, Infant, Newborn, Male, Particulate Matter/analysis, Retrospective Studies, Journal Article
ISSN: 0160-4120
Publisher: Elsevier Limited
Note: Publisher Copyright: © 2024
(Peer reviewed)