Abstract
The combustion of cooking fuels generates detrimental gases significantly impacting human health, particularly for vulnerable populations like expectant mothers. Prenatal exposure of such hazardous emissions raises the probability of adverse pregnancy outcomes, including preterm birth (PTB) and low birth weight (LBW). Our research aims to explore the association between cooking fuel utilization and adverse birth outcomes in rural Ma’anshan, Anhui Province. A prospective cohort study was executed, employing the Maternal and Infant Health Assessment questionnaire to classify fuels into clean (natural gas, electricity) and polluting energy sources (coal, coal gas, firewood). Multivariate logistic regression models were conducted to evaluate the association between fuel consumption and postpartum maternal and infant outcomes. Among the 442 surveyed pregnant women, 38.2% (N=169) utilized polluting fuels. After adjusting for covariates such as age and BMI, the relative risks of preterm birth, low birth weight, and postpartum hemorrhage in the polluting fuel group compared to the clean fuel group were OR: 3.27, 95% CI: 1.34, 8.00; OR: 3.50, 95% CI: 1.12, 10.90; and OR: 3.18, 95% CI: 1.06, 9.46, respectively. These results indicate that the usage of polluting fuels during pregnancy may heighten the risk of adverse birth outcomes. Consequently, additional research is advised to mitigate the harmful emissions generated by cooking fuels and advocate for clean energy adoption, enhancing maternal and infant well-being.
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Data availability
The datasets analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.
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Acknowledgements
We would like to acknowledge the School of Public Health, Anhui Medical University, for their support to this project and the data support from “ Ma’anshan Maternal and Child Health Hospital, Anhui Province.”
Funding
This study was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (82073565), Scientific Research Promotion Plan of Anhui Medical University (2021xkjT013), Project of Anhui Provincial Academic and Technical Leaders for scientific research activities (2022D321), and Projects of Anhui Provincial Key Laboratory of Population Health and Aristogenics (JKYS20225).
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Sun Zhang and Huiyu Hu both made substantial intellectual contributions. Sun Zhang and Huiyu Hu analyzed the data and drafted the manuscript. Chengyang Hu and **ujun Zhang revised the manuscript. Xuejie Liu, Zheye Liu, Yicheng Mao, Zhenhua Li, Kai Huang, Maolin Chen, and Guopeng Gao contributed to the data collection. The first draft of the manuscript was written by Sun Zhang and Huiyu Hu. All authors commented on the previous versions of the manuscript and approved the final version before submission.
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Zhang, S., Hu, H., Liu, X. et al. The impact of household fuel usage on adverse pregnancy outcomes in rural Ma’anshan City, Anhui Province: a birth cohort study. Environ Sci Pollut Res 30, 100950–100958 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-023-29543-0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-023-29543-0