Research Article: Impact of Cooking Fuel Choices on Maternal Lung Functions in Selected Rural and Urban Areas of Copperbelt Province, Zambia

Background: Considering the respiratory health risk of exposure to biomass cooking fuel emissions, this study was conducted to elucidate the relationship between cooking fuel choices and declined pulmonary function in rural and urban population in the Copperbelt Province of Zambia. Methods: We carried out a cross-sectional study of 1,170 healthy nonsmoking pregnant women from Masaiti and Ndola predominantly using biomass fuel for cooking. Questionnaire based data was acquired along with standardized measures of lung function. MIR Spirobank G (Italy) was used in spirometry based on American Thoracic Standards. Results: The present study found that over two thirds (69.2%) of pregnant women in the study population use biomass for cooking and only 12.4 % use electricity only. Declined lung function was found to be statistically significantly associated with cooking fuel choices (p – value 0.005) and a weak association was observed with gravida at a p-value of 0.056. Pregnant women using crop residues as cooking fuel were two times more likely to have a declined lung function [AOR 2.33 (1.27, 4.30)] compared with pregnant women using mixed fuel type (biomass and electricity) and those using electricity only were 57% less likely to have a declined lung function [AOD 0.43 (0.26, 0.69)]. Conclusion: Use of biomass for cooking among pregnant women is a strong determinant of declined lung function. Interventions to improve maternal respiratory health outcomes in Zambia and other countries in sub-Saharan Africa should involve making cleaner cooking fuel energy options available and accessible by ordinary women from both rural and urban areas.