Environ Health Perspect. 2011 Jun 7.
Impact of Reduced Maternal Exposures to Woodsmoke from an Introduced Chimney Stove on Newborn Birth Weight in Rural Guatemala.
Thompson LM, Bruce N, Eskenazi B, Díaz A, Pope D, Smith KR.
Background: There is a growing body of evidence reporting a relationship between household indoor air pollution from cooking fires and adverse neonatal outcomes, such as low birth weight (LBW) in resource-poor countries. We examined the effect of reduced woodsmoke exposure in pregnancy on LBW of Guatemalan infants in RESPIRE (Randomized Exposure Study of Pollution Indoors and Respiratory Effects).
Methods: Pregnant women (n=266) received either a chimney stove (intervention) or continued to cook over an open fire (control). Between October 2002 and December 2004 we weighed 174 eligible infants (69 to mothers who used a chimney stove and 105 to mothers who used an open fire during pregnancy) within 48 hours of birth. Multivariate linear regression and adjusted odds ratios were used to estimate differences in birth weight and LBW (
Results: Pregnant women using chimney stoves had a 39% reduction in mean exposure to carbon monoxide compared to open fire users. LBW prevalence was high at 22.4%. On average infants born to mothers who used a stove weighed 89 g more (95% CI, -27 to 204) than infants whose mothers used open fires after adjusting for maternal height, diastolic blood pressure, gravidity, and season of birth. The adjusted odds ratio for LBW was 0.74 (95% CI, 0.33-1.66) among infants of stove users compared to open fire users. Average birth weight was 296 grams higher (95% CI, 109 to 482) in infants born during the cold season (after harvest) than in other infants; this unanticipated finding may reflect the role of maternal nutrition on birth weight in an impoverished region.
Conclusions: A chimney stove reduced woodsmoke exposures and was associated with reduced LBW occurrence. Although not statistically significant, the estimated effect was consistent with previous studies.
