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A cross sectional analysis of behaviors related to operating gas stoves and pneumonia in U.S. children under the age of 5

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Title A cross sectional analysis of behaviors related to operating gas stoves and pneumonia in U.S. children under the age of 5
Names Coker, Eric S. (creator)
Smit, Ellen (creator)
Harding, Anna K. (creator)
Molitor, John (creator)
Kile, Molly L. (creator)
Date Issued 2015-02-04 (iso8601)
Note This is the publisher’s final pdf. The published article is copyrighted by the author(s) and published by BioMed Central Ltd. The published article can be found at: http://www.biomedcentral.com/bmcpublichealth/.
Abstract BACKGROUND: Poorly ventilated combustion stoves and pollutants emitted from combustion stoves increase the risk
of acute lower respiratory illnesses (ALRI) in children living in developing countries but few studies have examined
these issues in developed countries. Our objective is to investigate behaviors related to gas stove use, namely using
them for heat and without ventilation, on the odds of pneumonia and cough in U.S. children.
METHODS: The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (1988–1994) was used to identify children < 5 years
who lived in homes with a gas stove and whose parents provided information on their behaviors when operating
their gas stoves and data on pneumonia (N = 3,289) and cough (N = 3,127). Multivariate logistic regression models
were used to examine the association between each respiratory outcome and using a gas stove for heat or without
ventilation, as well as, the joint effect of both behaviors.
RESULTS: The adjusted odds of parental-reported pneumonia (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 2.08, 95% confidence interval
[CI]: 1.08, 4.03) and cough (aOR = 1.66, 95% CI: 1.14, 2.43) were higher among children who lived in homes where gas
stoves were used for heat compared to those who lived in homes where gas stoves were only used for cooking. The
odds of pneumonia (aOR = 1.76, 95% CI: 1.04, 2.98), but not cough (aOR = 1.23, 95% CI: 0.87, 1.75), was higher among
those children whose parents did not report using ventilation when operating gas stoves compared to those who did
use ventilation. When considering the joint association of both stove operating conditions, only children whose parents
reported using gas stoves for heat without ventilation had significantly higher odds of pneumonia (aOR = 3.06, 95% CI:
1.32, 7.09) and coughing (aOR = 2.07, 95% CI: 1.29, 3.30) after adjusting for other risk factors.
CONCLUSIONS: Using gas stoves for heat without ventilation was associated with higher odds of pneumonia and cough
among U.S. children less than five years old who live in homes with a gas stove. More research is needed to determine
if emissions from gas stoves ventilation infrastructure, or modifiable behaviors contribute to respiratory infections in
children.
Genre Article
Access Condition http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/us/
Topic Gas stove
Identifier Coker, E. S., Smit, E., Harding, A. K., Molitor, J., & Kile, M. L. (2015). A cross sectional analysis of behaviors related to operating gas stoves and pneumonia in US children under the age of 5. BMC Public Health, 15, 77. doi:10.1186/s12889-015-1425-y

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