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Acute Respiratory Infection, Conjunctivitis and Accidental Burns: The Stove Factor by Cornelia Sepp

Boiling Point
Front cover of Boiling Point issue 34
Issue 34 (1994) Smoke Removal
ArticleAcute Respiratory Infection, Conjunctivitis and Accidental Burns: the Stove Factor
AuthorCornelia Sepp
A comparative study on the effect of stoves on specific health aspects was earned out in the Lari and Limuru Divisions of the Kiambu District in Kenya by Dr Mar- I gret Kinyanjui. Her study objectives were to determine whether:
  • the prevalence of acute respiratory tract infections (ARI) and conjunctivitis are lower in households using improved stoves than in households using the traditional three stone fires, and if:
  • the incidence of accidental burns is lower in these households. The study period covered one week for ARI and conjunctivitis and one year for buses.
The study group consisted of women aged between I5 and 60, and children aged 0 to 5 years.

The 'sampling unit' was the household. A total of 400 households were studied. Two hundred households were using the traditional three stone fire and the other half the improved stove. Sixty-two percent of the total of households had children under 5 years of age.

The main independent variable was the type of stove in use. Other contributary factors were: the mother's level of education. the kitchen size, the number of windows in the kitchen that open and close properly, the space between the top of the wall and the roof, and the household's socio-economic status (determined by presence of a radio, type of roof, wall and floor of the main house). The dependent variables were the occurrence of conjunctivitis, ARI, and accidental burns.

[top] [end]Conjunctivitis and respiratory infections

The physical examination for conjunctivitis concentrated on redness of the eye and discharging eyes. For respiratory infections, the following symptoms were checked: blocked nostrils. running nose. inflammation of the throat, fast breathing, diffculties in breathing, indrawing of the chest. chest pains or hoarseness.

[top] [end]Results

The findings are shown in Table 1. Table 1. Cases of conjunctivitis and ARI: how households compare


Cooking method
Three-stone fire
Cooking method
Stove

Mothers with conjunctivitis
12
4

Children with conjunctivitis
41
12

Mothers with ARI
38
14

Children with ARI
59
23

The proportion of households using improved stoves in which mothers and children were afflicted with ARI was lower in those using the traditional three stone fire. Children in households using the traditional three stone fire were two and a half times more likely to suffer from ARI or to have mothers with ARI. The same was true for conjunctivitis, children in households using the traditional three stone fire were three times more likely to have conjunctivitis or to have mothers with conjunctivitis.

Accidental burns of children - no significant difference was found relating to type of stove.

In order to discover the effect of different stoves on he prevalence of ARI and conjunctivitis after taking into account confounding factors, a logistic regression analysis was conducted. As described above, the factors controlled were: - mother's level of education, kitchen size, number of windows in the kitchen that open and close Properly, space between the top of the wall and the roof and the socio economic status of the household. The most important factor was found to be the area of the kitchen.

Compiled from a draft of a dissertation entitled 'The Influence of Improved Stoves on Acute Respiratory Infection, Conjunctivitis and Accidental Burns' by Dr Margret Kinyanjui, University of Nairobi.

[top] [end]Contents: Boiling Point 34: Smoke Removal

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Smoke in the Kitchen - Any Stove Will Smoke if You Dont Use it Correctly - Acute Respiratory Infection, Conjunctivitis and Accidental Burns - Exposure to Air Pollution From Transitional Household Fuels In A South African Population - Smoke Removal in Kenya - Chinese Chimneys - Indoor Air Pollution in Rural Tigray - Removing Smoke from Nepali Kitchens - A Breath of Fresh Air for Smoky Houses - Vietnames Kitchens - Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Improving Environmental Degradation - Indian Governments Stove Programme in Question - Cooking energy Efficiency in Indonesia - Phillipines Ricehull Stove - Stoves for Cafes and Food Stalls - Fuel from Three Stages of Pyrolysis - An Electric Metad - Crack Reduction in Clay Stoves



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Page created: 21 August 2007; Last edited: 01 December 2008; Version: 1
Knowledge Bank text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License.

Pagename: AcuteRespiratoryInfectionConjunctivitisAndAccidentalBurns @HEDON: BUGA