Indoor Solid Fuel Use and Non-Neoplastic Digestive System Diseases: A Population-Based Cohort Study Among Chinese Middle-Aged and Older Population

Abstract

Objectives: We tended to explore the association of indoor air pollution (IAP) and non-neoplastic digestive system diseases (NNDSD) among the Chinese middle-aged and older population.Methods: From 2011 to 2018, we included 7884 NNDSD-free adults from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS). Physician-diagnosed NNDSD was obtained by self-reported information at baseline and updated across follow-up surveys. We investigated the associations between baseline exposure of solid fuel use for cooking and/or heating and NNDSD diagnosed during follow-up through Cox proportional hazard models. Furthermore, we examined the relationship between cooking fuel switching and NNDSD diagnosed during follow-up.Results: Solid fuel use for cooking and/or heating was positively associated with NNDSD after adjusting for potential confounders. The risk of NNDSD among subjects who always use solid fuel for cooking (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR]: 1.42; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.09, 1.84) was higher than those with always clean fuels. Moreover, we found a lower NNDSD risk among participants who switched from solid to clean cooking fuel (aHR: 0.65; 95% CI: 0.49, 0.87) than those with always solid fuels.Conclusion: Our present study shows that indoor solid fuel use is a dependent risk factor for NNDSD. Moreover, switching to clean fuel may contribute to the prevention of digestive system illnesses.

Association between digestive diseases and sarcopenia among Chinese middle-aged and older adults: a prospective cohort study based on nationally representative survey

“…Although the survey has emphasized the need for participants to report diseases based on previous doctors’ diagnoses, it is undeniable that there may be bias. Due to the data limitations of CHARLS, previous studies ( 49 , 50 ) have also used digestive diseases assessment methods consistent with this study, and have emphasized the limitations of self-reported bias and measurement bias. However, on the other side, given the scarcity of primary medical resources, if the risk of sarcopenia in middle-aged and older adults after 4 years can be determined based on self-reported digestive diseases, this may be of great value for early intervention and prevention of sarcopenia, as self-reported digestive diseases are very easy to obtain and do not require accurate medical equipment diagnosis.…”