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Childhood asthma and indoor woodsmoke from cooking in Guatemala

Journal of Exposure Science & Environmental Epidemiology volume 14, pages S110–S117 (2004)Cite this article

Abstract

We estimated the prevalence and severity of asthma, and the association with cooking on open wood fires, as preparation for a large-scale randomized field trial on effects of indoor air pollution and child health. This is one of the first systematic studies of asthma and indoor wood-smoke pollution and to our knowledge the first asthma study in a purely indigeneous population in Latin America. The mothers of 1058 children aged 4–6 years were interviewed, using the standardized ISAAC (International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood) procedures and questionnaire. The study population is a Mam-speaking (Maya), indigenous group living at relatively high altitude (2000 m) in Western Guatemalan Highlands. We found that asthma prevalence is low among indigenous children in Gautemala, compared to other populations in Latin America. Only 3.3% of the children reported wheezing symptoms in the last 12 months, and 72% wheezing symptoms ever. The majority of the current wheezers had at least one of the criteria for severe asthma. The prevalence of all the symptoms of asthma was higher in children from households that used open fires compared to improved stoves with chimneys. In a logistic regression model, use of open fire for cooking was a significant risk factor for a number of asthma symptoms, with odds ratios varying from 2.0 to 3.5. Among the different cooking technologies (1—improved stove with chimney, 2—mixture of gas and open fire, 3—open fire) trends of higher prevalence with more pollution was found for some of the symptoms. Hence use of open fire for cooking, may be an important risk factor for asthma symptoms and severity.

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Acknowledgements

This study was made possible through financial support from the Norwegian University Council's NUFU program for international university cooperation. We wish to thank Professor Bjorn Straume at the University of Tromsø, Norway, and the villagers with whom we lived and worked.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of California, Berkeley, USA

    Morten A Schei & Kirk R Smith

  2. University of Bergen, Norway

    Jens O Hessen

  3. University of Liverpool, UK

    Nigel Bruce & John McCracken

  4. Harvard University, Boston, USA

    John McCracken

  5. University de San Carlos, Quetzaltenango, Guatemala

    Victorina Lopez

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  1. Morten A Schei
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  2. Jens O Hessen
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  3. Kirk R Smith
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  4. Nigel Bruce
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  6. Victorina Lopez
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Correspondence to Morten A Schei.

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Schei, M., Hessen, J., Smith, K. et al. Childhood asthma and indoor woodsmoke from cooking in Guatemala. J Expo Sci Environ Epidemiol 14 (Suppl 1), S110–S117 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.jea.7500365

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