Household air pollution exposure in adult women is associated with increased carotid intima-media thickness: A cross-sectional study of the Household Air Pollution Intervention Network trial.

Background: Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of global morbidity and mortality, disproportionately affecting people in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Biomass fuels used for cooking in LMICs contribute significantly to household air pollution (HAP), which has been associated with inflammation, oxidative stress, and other pathways linked to atherosclerosis. We evaluate the association between HAP exposure and atherosclerosis by use of carotid artery ultrasound.

Liquefied Petroleum Gas or Biomass for Cooking and Effects on Blood Pressure: Results from the Household Air Pollution Intervention Network (HAPIN) Trial.

Background: Exposure to household air pollution from burning coal and biomass for cooking is associated with higher blood pressure and other adverse indicators of cardiovascular disease, the leading cause of death worldwide. Evidence demonstrating that switching from biomass to liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) will reduce blood pressure is limited.

Methods: As part of a larger trial of 3200 households, we conducted a randomized trial of 342 women aged 40 to 79 years who lived in households using biomass for cooking in rural areas of Guatemala, India, Peru, and Rwanda to assess the effects of a free LPG stove and fuel intervention.

Household air pollution and blood pressure among adult women participants of the Household Air Pollution Intervention Network Trial: An exposure-response analysis.

Background: Exposure to air pollutants, like fine particulate matter (PM), has been linked to higher blood pressure (BP). Few studies have examined this association in biomass-dependent settings. We seek to determine whether high exposure during a 16 month period was associated with an increase in BP among older adult women over the study period and to determine whether short-term increases in exposure were associated with higher coincident blood pressure.

Familial Differences in Personal PM Exposure within a Rural African Community Explained with Spatiotemporal Exposure Apportionment.

Exposure to fine particulate matter (PM) from solid-fuel combustion is a major determinant of global morbidity and mortality. However, variations in exposure remain uncertain across many high-risk populations. This work describes personal PM exposures among household members (adult men, adult women, and children) in rural sub-Saharan Africa, where biomass fuel is the primary household energy source.

The potential effect modifying role of nutrition, physical activity, and body mass index on the association between air pollution and adverse birth and early-life health outcomes: a scoping review.

Background: Air pollution is a prominent contributor to the burden of adverse birth and early child health outcomes. However, considerable heterogeneity of impacts has been observed, which may be due to limited exploration of key effect modifiers. This scoping review was conducted to synthesize evidence on the potential effect modifying roles of nutrition, physical activity, and body mass index (BMI) on the associations between early-life air pollution exposures and adverse birth and early-life health outcomes.

Exposure-response relationship of household air pollution on body mass index among women in rural areas of Guatemala, India, Peru and Rwanda: household air pollution intervention network trial.

Background: Household air pollution from burning biomass materials, the main cooking fuel in low- and middle-income countries, may be linked to metabolic dysfunction. We assessed cross-sectional associations between household air pollution and body mass index (BMI), expecting to see increased BMI with higher pollution concentrations.

Methods: We analyzed data from 414 women aged 40 to 79 years who resided in the households using biomass fuel and were enrolled in the multi-country Household Air Pollution Intervention Network (HAPIN) Trial.

Association between Personal Exposure to Household Air Pollution and Glycated Hemoglobin among Women in Rural Areas of Guatemala, India, Peru, and Rwanda: Household Air Pollution Intervention Network Trial.

Background: Household air pollution from biomass cookstoves is a major concern in low- and middle-income countries because it may be linked with increasing rates of metabolic disorders such as diabetes. We assessed cross-sectional associations between household air pollution concentrations and glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) levels.

Methods: We analyzed data from 346 women 40 to years of age who cooked with biomass fuel and were enrolled in the Household Air Pollution Intervention Network (HAPIN) Trial in Guatemala, India, Peru, and Rwanda.

Predictors of Personal Exposure to Fine Particulate Matter, Black Carbon, and Carbon Monoxide among Pregnant Women in Rwanda: Baseline Data from the HAPIN Trial.

Background: Exposure to household air pollution from the combustion of solid fuels is a leading risk factor for death and disease in low- and middle-income countries, where cleaner cooking and lighting options are often unavailable. Few studies have measured personal exposure during pregnancy, a sensitive period of development, particularly in Africa.

Objective: We aimed to characterize exposure during early to midpregnancy among women in Rwanda and to assess predictors of personal exposure, including stove and fuel type, cooking behaviors, housing conditions, sociodemographic characteristics, and other potential sources of exposure.

Impact of the Wood-Burning Cookstove on Glycated Hemoglobin (HbA1c): A Stepped-Wedge Randomized Trial in Rural Honduras.

Background: Type 2 diabetes is a rapidly growing global health challenge in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), and evidence suggests that air pollution exposure contributes. Household air pollution from burning solid fuels for cooking is a major burden in LMICs, but studies demonstrating associations between reductions in household air pollution and improvements in HbA1c, a biomarker of diabetes risk, are lacking. We previously reported substantial reductions in fine particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter () and black carbon concentrations following an intervention in rural Honduras with the cookstove, a wood-burning stove with an engineered combustion chamber and chimney.

Baseline associations between exposure to metals and systolic and diastolic blood pressure among women in the Household Air Pollution Intervention Network Trial.

Lead (Pb) and cadmium (Cd) are metals that occur naturally in the environment and are present in biomass fuels, such as wood. When these fuels are burned, they can release Pb and Cd into the air, leading to exposure through inhalation. Studies of exposure to metals and health outcomes suggest harmful impacts, including cardiovascular diseases.

Exposure Contrasts of Women Aged 40-79 Years during the Household Air Pollution Intervention Network Randomized Controlled Trial.

Exposure to household air pollution has been linked to adverse health outcomes among women aged 40-79. Little is known about how shifting from biomass cooking to a cleaner fuel like liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) could impact exposures for this population. We report 24-h exposures to particulate matter (PM), black carbon (BC), and carbon monoxide (CO) among women aged 40 to <80 years participating in the Household Air Pollution Intervention Network trial.

Association of household air pollution exposure and anemia among pregnant women: Analysis of baseline data from 'Household Air Pollution Intervention Network (HAPIN)' trial.

Background: Anemia is common in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), causing significant health issues and social burdens. Exposure to household air pollution from using biomass fuels for cooking and heating has been associated with anemia, but the exposure-response association has not been studied.

Objectives: We evaluated the associations between personal exposure to air pollution and both hemoglobin levels and anemia prevalence among pregnant women in a multi-country randomized controlled trial.

Impact of randomly assigned "pay-as-you-go" liquefied petroleum gas prices on energy use for cooking: Experimental pilot evidence from rural Rwanda.

The disease burden related to air pollution from traditional solid-fuel cooking practices in low- and middle-income countries impacts millions of people globally. Although the use of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) fuel for cooking can meaningfully reduce household air pollution concentrations, major barriers, including affordability and accessibility, have limited widespread adoption. Using a randomized controlled trial, our objective was to evaluate the association between the cost and use of LPG among 23 rural Rwandan households.

Exposure to air pollutants and rheumatoid arthritis biomarkers: A scoping review.

Introduction: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a common autoimmune disease with a complex and poorly understood etiology that includes genetic, hormonal, and environmental factors.

Objective: Our objective was to assess current literature that investigated the association between exposure to environmental and occupational air pollutants and RA-related biomarkers rheumatoid factor (RF) and anti-citrullinated peptide antibody (ACPA).

Design: PubMed and Web of Science were used to identify epidemiological studies that measured or estimated air pollution and at least one RA biomarker.

Exposure to indoor and outdoor air pollution in schools in Africa: Current status, knowledge gaps, and a call to action.

Chronic exposure to indoor and outdoor air pollution is linked to adverse human health impacts worldwide, and in children, these include increased respiratory symptoms, reduced cognitive and academic performance, and absences from school. African children are exposed to high levels of air pollution from aging diesel and gasoline second-hand vehicles, dusty roads, trash burning, and solid-fuel combustion for cooking. There is a need for more empirical evidence on the impact of air pollutants on schoolchildren in most countries of Africa.

Baseline associations between household air pollution exposure and blood pressure among pregnant women in the Household Air Pollution Intervention Network (HAPIN) multi-country randomized controlled trial.

Cooking and heating using solid fuels can result in dangerous levels of exposure to household air pollution (HAP). HAPIN is an ongoing randomized controlled trial assessing the impact of a liquified petroleum gas stove and fuel intervention on HAP exposure and health in Guatemala, India, Peru, and Rwanda among households that rely primarily on solid cooking fuels. Given the potential impacts of HAP exposure on cardiovascular outcomes during pregnancy, we seek to characterize the relationship between personal exposures to HAP and blood pressure among pregnant women at baseline (prior to intervention) in the study.

Visualizing Field Data Collection Procedures of Exposure and Biomarker Assessments for the Household Air Pollution Intervention Network Trial in India.

Here, we present a visual representation of standard procedures to collect population-level data on personal exposures to household air pollution (HAP) from two different study sites in a resource-constrained setting of Tamil Nadu, India. Particulate matter PM2.5 (particles smaller than 2.

Liquefied Petroleum Gas or Biomass for Cooking and Effects on Birth Weight.

Background: Exposure during pregnancy to household air pollution caused by the burning of solid biomass fuel is associated with adverse health outcomes, including low birth weight. Whether the replacement of a biomass cookstove with a liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) cookstove would result in an increase in birth weight is unclear.

Methods: We performed a randomized, controlled trial involving pregnant women (18 to <35 years of age and at 9 to <20 weeks' gestation as confirmed on ultrasonography) in Guatemala, India, Peru, and Rwanda.

Exposure Contrasts of Pregnant Women during the Household Air Pollution Intervention Network Randomized Controlled Trial.

Background: Exposure to arising from solid fuel combustion is estimated to result in million premature deaths and 91 million lost disability-adjusted life years annually. Interventions attempting to mitigate this burden have had limited success in reducing exposures to levels thought to provide substantive health benefits.

Objectives: This paper reports exposure reductions achieved by a liquified petroleum gas (LPG) stove and fuel intervention for pregnant mothers in the Household Air Pollution Intervention Network (HAPIN) randomized controlled trial.

Effects of household and participant characteristics on personal exposure and kitchen concentration of fine particulate matter and black carbon in rural Honduras.

Traditional cooking with solid fuels (biomass, animal dung, charcoals, coal) creates household air pollution that leads to millions of premature deaths and disability worldwide each year. Exposure to household air pollution is highest in low- and middle-income countries. Using data from a stepped-wedge randomized controlled trial of a cookstove intervention among 230 households in Honduras, we analyzed the impact of household and personal variables on repeated 24-h measurements of fine particulate matter (PM) and black carbon (BC) exposure.

Reduced Black Carbon Concentrations following a Three-Year Stepped-Wedge Randomized Trial of the Wood-Burning Justa Cookstove in Rural Honduras.

Introduction: Household air pollution from cooking-related biomass combustion remains a leading risk factor for global health. Black carbon (BC) is an important component of particulate matter (PM) in household air pollution. We evaluated the impact of the engineered, wood-burning stove intervention on BC concentrations.

Household air pollution from wood-burning cookstoves and C-reactive protein among women in rural Honduras.

Household air pollution from solid fuel combustion was estimated to cause 2.31 million deaths worldwide in 2019; cardiovascular disease is a substantial contributor to the global burden. We evaluated the cross-sectional association between household air pollution (24-h gravimetric kitchen and personal particulate matter (PM) and black carbon (BC)) and C-reactive protein (CRP) measured in dried blood spots among 107 women in rural Honduras using wood-burning traditional or Justa (an engineered combustion chamber) stoves.

Estimating long-term average household air pollution concentrations from repeated short-term measurements in the presence of seasonal trends and crossover.

Estimating long-term exposure to household air pollution is essential for quantifying health effects of chronic exposure and the benefits of intervention strategies. However, typically only a small number of short-term measurements are made. We compare different statistical models for combining these short-term measurements into predictions of a long-term average, with emphasis on the impact of temporal trends in concentrations and crossover in study design.

LPG stove and fuel intervention among pregnant women reduce fine particle air pollution exposures in three countries: Pilot results from the HAPIN trial.

The Household Air Pollution Intervention Network trial is a multi-country study on the effects of a liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) stove and fuel distribution intervention on women's and children's health. There is limited data on exposure reductions achieved by switching from solid to clean cooking fuels in rural settings across multiple countries. As formative research in 2017, we recruited pregnant women and characterized the impact of the intervention on personal exposures and kitchen levels of fine particulate matter (PM) in Guatemala, India, and Rwanda.