Swikriti Acharya^1,2, Madhu Koirala Dhital^1,3*, Kiran Sapkota⁴, Ganesh Shrivastav⁵ and Shalik Ram Dhital⁶

¹National Open College, Sanepa, Kathmandu, Nepal
²Tribhuvan University, Manmohan Memorial Institute of Health Sciences, Kathmandu, Nepal
³John Hunter Hospital, NSW, Newcastle, Australia
⁴University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa, USA
⁵Ministry of Health and Population, Kathmandu, Nepal
⁶National Health Education, Information and Communication Center, Kathmandu, Nepal

*Corresponding Author: Madhu Koirala Dhital, National Open College, Sanepa, Kathmandu, Nepal.

Received: November 17, 2021; Published: January 21, 2022

Abstract

Introduction: Indoor air pollution (IAP) is a major public health challenge in developing countries like Nepal. Annually, approximately 4.3 million people die due to IAP. In Nepal, 80% of rural households use biomass fuel for cooking without ventilation. This study to explore knowledge about IAP among women in the Dang district of Nepal.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in Tulsipur municipality of Nepal in 2016. Systematic random sampling was used, and data were collected using a structured questionnaire about IAP at their household level. The study population was among women living in a household. The descriptive analysis was done using SPSS software and statistical analysis carried out in frequencies and percentages and data are shown in table, pie chart and bar graph. Each study variable was labeled, coded, and measured systematically.

Results: The total study participants were 196 women aged 15 years and above. This study showed that approximately 90% of women had heard about IAP. Of these 28% and 24% of women said IAP is mainly caused due to cooking habits and poor ventilation respectively. Approximately 53% of women were aware of ventilation and 46% agreed to have proper ventilation in the kitchen. Twenty-seven percentages of women agreed that health effects such as eye irritation was due to IAP where by headache 23%, respiratory diseases 20% and so on.

Conclusion: Knowledge about IAP is a pragmatic way to prevent and mitigate the effects of IAP in the Dang, Nepal.

Keywords: Indoor Air Pollution; Knowledge; Rural; Women; Nepal

References

1. Bruce N., et al. “IAP in developing countries: a major environmental and public health challenge”. Bulletin of the World Health Organization 78 (2000): 1078-1092.
2. Sumpter C and Chandramohan D. “Systematic review and meta‐analysis of the associations between IAP and tuberculosis”. Tropical Medicine and International Health1 (2013): 101-108.
3. Lee KK., et al. “Adverse health effects associated with household air pollution: a systematic review, meta-analysis, and burden estimation study”. The Lancet Global Health11 (2020): e1427-e1434.
4. Thapa B and Chaurasia N. “IAP due to Inadequate Ventilation and its Impact on Health among Children of Less Than Five Years in Eastern Nepal”. Journal of Nobel Medical College1 (2014): 35-39.
5. World Health Organization. “Household air pollution and health” (2018).
6. Apte JM. “A study of relationship between background characteristics, media exposure and acceptance of family planning in rural Maharashtra”. IIPS News4 (1988): 13-22.
7. Ministry of Health and Population. Nepal Demographic and Health Survey. Kathmandu: Ministry of Health and Population, New ERA and Inner City Fund International (2016).
8. Joshi H., et al. “IAP and its Health Impact on People of Malikarjun Village Development Community, Darchula district (A case study)”. Nepal Health Research Council (2008).
9. Von Schirnding Y., et al. “Addressing the Impact of Household Energy and IAP on the Health of Poor: Implications for Policy Action and Intervention Measures”. World Health Organization Geneva (2002).
10. Tariq N., et al. “Awareness about IAP in general population of Rawalpindi and Islamabad”. Pakistan Journal of Public Health2 (2018): 80-83.
11. Nasir ZA., et al. “Ethno-environmental knowledge as a tool to combat IAP in low income countries: A case study from rural communities in Pakistan” (2014).
12. Zhao Y., et al. “Indoor air environment of residential buildings in Dalian, China”. Energy and Buildings12 (2004): 1235-1239.
13. Shrestha IL and Shrestha SL. “IAP from biomass fuels and respiratory health of the exposed population in Nepalese households”. International Journal of Occupational and Environmental Health2 (2005): 150-160.
14. Pandey M., et al. “Domestic smoke pollution and acute respiratory infections in a rural community of the hill region of Nepal”. Environment International1-6 (1989): 337-340.
15. Junaid M., et al. “Status of IAP (IAP) through particulate matter (PM) emissions and associated health concerns in South Asia”. Chemosphere 191 (2018): 651-663.
16. Isara AR and Aigbokhaode AQ. “Household cooking fuel use among residents of a sub-urban community in Nigeria: implications for IAP”. The Eurasian Journal of Medicine3 (2014): 203.
17. Myat KKS., et al. “IAP: Impact of intervention on acute respiratory infection (ARI) in under-five children”. Regional Health Forum (2005).
18. Koirala M., et al. “Effects of IAP on Stunting Among Children Aged 1-5 Years in Salyan District of Nepal”. Acta Scientific Paedriatrics3 (2021): 10-16.
19. Ghimire S., et al. “Geographic and socio-economic variation in markers of IAP in Nepal: evidence from nationally-representative data”. BMC Public Health1 (2019): 1-5.
20. Carlsten C., et al. “Personal strategies to minimise effects of air pollution on respiratory health: advice for providers, patients and the public”. European Respiratory Journal6 (2020).
21. Shupler M., et al. “Household and personal air pollution exposure measurements from 120 communities in eight countries: results from the PURE-AIR study”. The Lancet Planetary Health10 (2020): e451-462.

Citation

Citation: Madhu Koirala Dhital., et al. “Women’s Knowledge About Indoor Air Pollution in Nepal". Acta Scientific Women's Health 4.2 (2022): 19-24.

Copyright

Copyright: © 2022 Madhu Koirala Dhital., et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.