Air Pollution During Pregnancy and Birth Outcomes in Italy

Palma, A.; Petrunyk, Inna; Vuri, Daniela

doi:10.2139/ssrn.3427605

Cited by 2 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 35 publications

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“…In addition to detrimental cardiovascular effects, growing evidence shows potential perinatal risks associated with solid biomass burning ( 26–28 ). Adverse pregnancy outcomes such as low birth weight (LBW), pre-term birth (PTB), intrauterine growth restriction, and post-neonatal infant mortality are associated with biomass fuel smoke exposure ( 29 ). Fetuses are the most vulnerable stage to air pollution due to susceptibility at early ages ( 30 , 31 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Kitchen fine particulate matter (PM2.5) concentrations from biomass fuel use in rural households of Northwest Ethiopia

Enyew,

Hailu,

Mereta

2023

Front. Public Health

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BackgroundCombustion of solid biomass fuels using traditional stoves which is the daily routine for 3 billion people emits various air pollutants including fine particulate matter which is one of the widely recognized risk factors for various cardiorespiratory and other health problems. But, there is only limited evidences of kitchen PM2.5 concentrations in rural Ethiopia.ObjectiveThis study is aimed to estimate the 24-h average kitchen area concentrations of PM2.5 and to identify associated factors in rural households of northwest Ethiopia.MethodThe average kitchen area PM2.5 concentrations were measured using a low-cost light-scattering Particle and Temperature Sensor Plus (PATS+) for a 24-h sampling period. Data from the PATS+ was downloaded in electronic form for further analysis. Other characteristics were collected using face-to-face interviews. Independent sample t-test and one-way analysis of variance were used to test differences in PM2.5 concentrations between and among various characteristics, respectively.ResultMixed fuels were the most common cooking biomass fuel. The 24-h average kitchen PM2.5 concentrations was estimated to be 405 μg/m3, ranging from 52 to 965 μg/m3. The average concentrations were 639 vs. 336 μg/m3 (p < 0.001) in the thatched and corrugated iron sheet roof kitchens, respectively. The average concentration was also higher among mixed fuel users at 493 vs. 347 μg/m3 (p = 0.042) compared with firewood users and 493 vs. 233 μg/m3 (p = 0.007) as compared with crop residue fuel users. Statistically significant differences were also observed across starter fuel types 613 vs. 343 μg/m3 (p = 0.016) for kerosene vs. dried leaves and Injera baking events 523 vs. 343 μg/m3 (p < 0.001) for baked vs. not baked events.ConclusionThe average kitchen PM2.5 concentrations in the study area exceeded the world health organization indoor air quality guideline value of 15 μg/m3 which can put pregnant women at greater risk and contribute to poor pregnancy outcomes. Thatched roof kitchen, mixed cooking fuel, kerosene fire starter, and Injera baking events were positively associated with high-level average kitchen PM2.5. concentration. Simple cost-effective interventions like the use of chimney-fitted improved stoves and sensitizing women about factors that aggravate kitchen PM2.5 concentrations could reduce kitchen PM 2.5 levels in the future.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Kitchen fine particulate matter (PM2.5) concentrations from biomass fuel use in rural households of Northwest Ethiopia

Enyew,

Hailu,

Mereta

2023

Front. Public Health

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Effect of a chimney-fitted improved stove on pregnancy outcomes in Northwest Ethiopia: a randomized controlled trial

Enyew,

Hailu,

Mereta

2024

BMC Pregnancy Childbirth

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Background Exposure to household air pollution during pregnancy has been linked to adverse pregnancy outcomes. Improved stove was implemented in Ethiopia to reduce this exposure and related health problems. However, the effects of improved stove interventions on pregnancy outcomes remains uncertain. Method Individually randomized stove replacement trial was conducted among 422 households in six low-income rural kebeles of Northwestern Ethiopia. Pregnant women without known health conditions were recruited at ≤ 24 weeks gestation and randomized to an intervention or control group with a 1:1 ratio. A baseline survey was collected and a balance test was done. Two-sided independent samples t-test for continuous outcomes and chi-square for categorical variables were used to compare the effect of the intervention between the groups. Mean differences with 95% CIs were calculated and a p-value of < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Result In this study, the mean birth weight was 3065 g (SD = 453) among the intervention group and not statistically different from 2995 g (SD = 541) of control group. After adjusting for covariates, infants born from intervention group weighed 55 g more [95% CI: − 43 to 170) than infants born from the control group, but the difference was not statistically significant (P = 0.274). The respective percentages for low birth weight were 8% and 10.3% for intervention and control groups respectively (P = 0.346). However, the average gestational age at delivery was higher among improved stove users (38 weeks (SD = 8.2) compared to control groups 36.5 weeks (SD = 9.6) with statistically significant difference at 0.91 weeks (95% CI: 0.52 to 1.30 weeks, p < 0.001). The corresponding difference in risk ratio for preterm birth is 0.94 (95% CI:0.92 to 0.97; p < 0.001). The percentages for maternal complications, stillbirth, and miscarriage in the intervention group were not statistically different from the control group. Conclusions While the increase in average birth weight among babies born to mothers using improved stoves was not statistically significant, babies had a longer gestational age on average, offering valuable health benefits. However, the study didn’t find a significant impact on other pregnancy outcomes like stillbirth, miscarriage, or maternal complications. Trial registration The study was registered at the Pan African Clinical Trial Registry website under the code PACTR202111534227089, (https://pactr.samrc.ac.za/ (Identifier). The first trial registration date was (11/11/2021).

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Air Pollution During Pregnancy and Birth Outcomes in Italy

Cited by 2 publications

References 35 publications

Kitchen fine particulate matter (PM2.5) concentrations from biomass fuel use in rural households of Northwest Ethiopia

Kitchen fine particulate matter (PM2.5) concentrations from biomass fuel use in rural households of Northwest Ethiopia

Effect of a chimney-fitted improved stove on pregnancy outcomes in Northwest Ethiopia: a randomized controlled trial

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