Epidemiological insights into neonatal deaths: The role of cooking fuel pollution in Colombia

• Published in: International journal of hygiene and environmental health Vol. 261; p. 114429
• Main Authors: Andrade-Rivas, Federico, Okpani, Arnold Ikedichi, Lucumí, Diego I., Castillo, Maria D., Karim, Mohammad Ehsanul
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Germany Elsevier GmbH 01-08-2024
• Subjects: Adult; Air Pollutants - adverse effects; Air Pollutants - analysis; Air Pollution, Indoor - adverse effects; Colombia - epidemiology; Cooking; Cross-Sectional Studies; Female; Humans; Infant; Infant Death - etiology; Infant Mortality; Infant, Newborn; Male; Colombia
• ISSN: 1438-4639; 1618-131X; 1618-131X
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ijheh.2024.114429

Household air pollution is one of the leading causes of death and disease globally. Emerging evidence of elevated risk of neonatal death has been reported in Africa and South Asia. However, evidence on the extent of the problem in Latin America is limited despite the persistent use of highly polluting cooking fuels. We assessed whether the use of high-polluting household cooking fuels increases the risk of neonatal death compared to low-polluting fuels in Colombia.
We used cross-sectional data from the 2005–2015 Colombian Demographic Health Survey and performed a survey-featured multivariate logistic regression. We selected adjustment covariates based on a causal diagram, addressed missing data through multiple imputation, and conducted several sensitivity analysis, such as propensity score matching.
We found evidence suggesting an increased risk of neonatal death in households using high-polluting fuels (OR: 1.48; 95% CI: 0.91, 2.39). The sensitivity analyses were consistent with the main analysis.
We observed increased odds of neonatal death associated with using high-polluting household cooking fuels compared to low-polluting fuels, although this association was not statistically significant. This study contributes evidence to a region where the issue is not yet a priority and should be included in national-level discussions and interventions that impact cooking fuel use patterns.