Indoor Solid Fuel Use and Non-Neoplastic Digestive System Diseases: A Population-Based Cohort Study Among Chinese Middle-Aged and Older Population

• Published in: International journal of public health Vol. 67; p. 1605419
• Main Authors: Liu, Yahang, Zeng, Silu, Huang, Chen, Wang, Ce, Zhu, Jingjing, Peng, Jiahuan, Ding, Fengfei, Li, Jiong, Qin, Guoyou, Chen, Jiaohua
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland Frontiers Media S.A 21.12.2022
• Subjects: Adult; Aged; China - epidemiology; clean fuels; Cohort Studies; digestive diseases; Digestive System Diseases; East Asian People; household air pollution; Humans; Longitudinal Studies; Middle Aged; middle-aged and older adults; Public Health Archive; Risk Factors; solid fuels; China; household air pollution; digestive diseases; solid fuels; clean fuels; middle-aged and older adults
• ISSN: 1661-8564; 1661-8556; 1661-8564
• DOI: 10.3389/ijph.2022.1605419

Objectives: We tended to explore the association of indoor air pollution (IAP) and non-neoplastic digestive system diseases (NNDSD) among the Chinese middle-aged and older population. Methods: From 2011 to 2018, we included 7884 NNDSD-free adults from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS). Physician-diagnosed NNDSD was obtained by self-reported information at baseline and updated across follow-up surveys. We investigated the associations between baseline exposure of solid fuel use for cooking and/or heating and NNDSD diagnosed during follow-up through Cox proportional hazard models. Furthermore, we examined the relationship between cooking fuel switching and NNDSD diagnosed during follow-up. Results: Solid fuel use for cooking and/or heating was positively associated with NNDSD after adjusting for potential confounders. The risk of NNDSD among subjects who always use solid fuel for cooking (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR]: 1.42; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.09, 1.84) was higher than those with always clean fuels. Moreover, we found a lower NNDSD risk among participants who switched from solid to clean cooking fuel (aHR: 0.65; 95% CI: 0.49, 0.87) than those with always solid fuels. Conclusion: Our present study shows that indoor solid fuel use is a dependent risk factor for NNDSD. Moreover, switching to clean fuel may contribute to the prevention of digestive system illnesses.