Indicators of exposure to household air pollution. WHO Bulletin, May 2015.
Authors: Kendra N Williams, Amanda L Northcross & Jay P Graham
More information could be collected through national surveys to increase awareness and knowledge of the extent and impact of household air pollution. Because the development of specific questions for national surveys is a lengthy process that requires extensive piloting and testing to assure validity and reliability, we do not propose specific questions, but rather summarize categories of information critical for understanding the problem, based on examples from a related field: water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH).
In contrast to the WASH field, no indicator in the DHS or MICS tracks types of cooking apparatus owned or used for cooking. Information on fuel collection is also incomplete. We suggest that additional indicators are needed in the following categories:
- types of cooking apparatus owned;
- use of cooking apparatus;
- fuel collection practices;
- fine particulate matter exposures or household concentrations; and
- fuels used for heating and lighting.
