Effects of indoor pollution on acute respiratory infections among under-five children in India: Evidence from a nationally representative population-based study

Abstract

Objective: Acute respiratory infections (ARI) are the leading causes of neonatal and child mortality. Despite several national efforts to reduce the incidence of mortality among children, India is one of the largest contributors to under-five mortality in the world. In this study, we examined the effects of indoor pollution on ARI among under-five children in India.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried using nationally representative data from the 2015-2016 National Family Health Survey (NFHS-4). This study is based on 247,743 living children under the age of five years. Bivariate and multivariate analyses were performed to assess the impact of indoor air pollution on children's ARI.

Results: Almost two-thirds of households (65.2%) used biomass fuels for cooking, 54.9% of households had a separate kitchen, and 47.2% of households had a smoker. About 2.7% of children suffered from ARI in the past two weeks preceding the survey. The use of biomass fuels (OR [odds ratio]: 1.10, 95% CI: 1.01-1.20), households having no separate kitchen (OR: 1.22, 95% CI: 1.14-1.30), and smoking behavior of household members (OR: 1.06, 95% CI: 1.00-1.12) were associated with greater risk of ARI among under-five children even after adjusting for age of child, sex of child, birth order, maternal age, maternal education, caste, religion, wealth quintile, any HH members suffer from tuberculosis (TB), and household crowding. Furthermore, the results revealed that the combined effects of biomass fuels and households without separate kitchen increased the likelihood of children's ARI by 36% (Adjusted OR: 1.35, 95% CI: 1.21-1.51).

Conclusion: The findings of this study suggest policy interventions to reduce the exposure of indoor air pollution, particularly among the impoverished groups. The government should ensure cleaner fuels for cooking, such as LPG and electricity, to minimize the risk of respiratory diseases among children.

Fig 1. Selection of study participants.