Biomass Smoke Exposure and Somatic Growth Among Children: The RESPIRE and CRECER Prospective Cohort Studies in Rural Guatemala

Details

• Journal Article:
  Environment International
• Personal Author:
  Lu, Wenxin ; Jenny, Alisa ; Romero, Carolina ; Diaz-Artiga, Anaite ; Kuster, Andrea ; Canuz, Eduardo ; Pilllarisetti, Ajay ; McCracken, John P. ; Huang, Wenzhong ; Smith, Kirk R. ; Balmes, John ; Thompson, Lisa M.
• Description:
  Background: Cooking-related biomass smoke is a major source of household air pollution (HAP) and an important health hazard. Prior studies identified associations between HAP exposure and childhood stunting; less is known for underweight and wasting. Few studies had personal HAP measurements.
  
  Methods: 557 households in rural Guatemala were enrolled in the CRECER study, the follow-up study of the RESPIRE randomized intervention trial. They were assigned to three groups that received chimney stoves at different ages of the study children. Multiple personal carbon monoxide (CO) exposure measurements were used as proxies for HAP exposures. Children's heights and weights were measured from 24 to 60 months of age. Height-for-age z-score (HAZ), weight-for-age z-score (WAZ), and weight-for-height z-score (WHZ) were calculated based on the World Health Organization's Multicentre Growth Reference Study. HAZ, WAZ, and WHZ below -2 were classified as stunting, underweight, and wasting, respectively. Generalized linear models and mixed effects models were applied.
  
  Results: 541 children had valid anthropometric data, among whom 488 (90.2 %) were stunted, 192 (35.5 %) were underweight, and 2 (0.3 %) were wasted. A 1 ppm higher average CO exposure was associated with a 0.21 lower HAZ (95 % CI: 0.17-0.25), a 0.13 lower WAZ (95 % CI: 0.10-0.17) and a 0.06 lower WHZ (95 % CI: 0.02-0.10). The associations for HAZ were stronger among boys (coefficient = -0.29, 95 % CI: -0.35 - -0.22) than among girls (coefficient = -0.15, 95 % CI: -0.20 - -0.10). A 1 ppm-year higher cumulative CO exposure was associated with a higher risk of moderate stunting among boys (OR = 1.27, 95 % CI: 1.05-1.59), but not among girls.
  
  Discussion: In this rural Guatemalan population, higher HAP exposure was associated with lower HAZ and WAZ. The associations between HAP and HAZ/stunting were stronger among boys. Reducing HAP might benefit childhood somatic growth in rural populations of low-income countries. [Description provided by NIOSH]
  
  
• Subjects:
  Air Pollution, Indoor Carbon Monoxide Cohort Studies Fuel Oils Occupational Health Safety
• Keywords:
  Biomass Smoke Carbon Monoxide Child Health Children Cohort Studies Cooking Equipment Fuels Growth Disorders Heating Equipment Household Air Pollution Indoor Air Pollution Somatic Growth

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• DOI:
  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envint.2023.108401
• ISSN:
  0160-4120
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Guatemala ; California ; Georgia ; OSHA Region 4 ; OSHA Region 9
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Volume:
  183
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20069305
• Citation:
  Environ Int 2024 Jan; 183:108401
• Email:
  wluac@berkeley.edu
• CAS Registry Number:
  Carbon monoxide (CAS RN 630-08-0)
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2024
• Performing Organization:
  University of California, Berkeley
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  20050701
• End Date:
  20250630
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:f25541e72b6771beca8c616dec75bf9e3e404ed7c6a704d93c8dca95c0c017b2ee972f0a9f740c50d400c35a16f447c8a231d5a5bc0fb9513d3973cf68119a61
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/207806/cdc_207806_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 1.25 MB ]