Household fuel use and motoric cognitive risk syndrome among older adults: Evidence from cohort study and life course analysis.

Background: Motoric cognitive risk syndrome (MCRS) is a predementia syndrome, and its prevention is valuable for reducing the incidence of dementia. However, few studies have focused on the association between indoor air pollution caused by household cooking fuel use and MCRS. This study aimed to investigate whether clean cooking fuel use is associated with reduced MCRS risk and whether the timing of clean fuel adoption across the life span is associated with MCRS prevalence.

Methods: We used data from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study. A prospective cohort analysis (n = 4251) examined baseline fuel use (2011) and incident MCRS over four years. A cross-sectional life course analysis (n = 6964) linked retrospective fuel use histories (2014 life history survey) to MCRS status in 2015. Modified Poisson regression was used to estimate relative risks (RRs) and 95 % confidence intervals (CIs), adjusting for covariates.

Results: In the cohort study, clean fuel use at baseline was associated with a reduced risk of MCRS (RR = 0.76; 95 % CI: 0.61-0.96). Lower risks were also observed among participants who transitioned from solid to clean fuels and those who consistently used clean fuels. In the life course analysis, clean fuel adoption in early or middle adulthood was linked to lower MCRS prevalence.

Conclusion: Clean fuel use for cooking and transitioning from solid to clean fuels decreases MCRS risk among older adults. Moreover, earlier adoption of clean cooking fuels is associated with a lower prevalence of MCRS in later life.