A COMPARITIVE STUDY ON PREVALENCE OF ACUTE RESPIRATORY INFECTION, DUE TO INDOOR AIR POLLUTION  AN INVISIBLE KILLER.

S. Rajini; G. Jayalakshmi

Volume : VI, Issue : IV, April - 2017

A COMPARITIVE STUDY ON PREVALENCE OF ACUTE RESPIRATORY INFECTION, DUE TO INDOOR AIR POLLUTION AN INVISIBLE KILLER.

S. Rajini, G. Jayalakshmi

Abstract :

Background Worldwide, more than three billion people depend on solid fuels, including biomass (wood, dung and crop residues) and coal, for cooking and heating. Exposure to indoor air pollution from solid fuels has been linked to many different diseases, including acute and chronic respiratory diseases, tuberculosis, asthma, cardiovascular disease and perinatal health outcomes. Aims & objective: To find out the prevalence of acute respiratory infections in houses with separate kitchen and in houses with kitchen in same living room. Methodology: A community based cross–sectional study was conducted during May to June 2015 among 300 households in the field work area of SLIMS, Puducherry. The information was collected from all households, who were present during the time of data collection. Data was collected by using a pre–designed and pre–tested questionnaire by interview method. The data was analysed using suitable statistical methods. Results: 300 houses were surveyed and the prevalence of ARI was 45.52% in houses with separate kitchen when compared to 54.4% in houses without separate kitchen. It was also reported that the prevalence of ARI among under five children was 10.18% in houses with separate kitchen and 11.47% in houses without separate kitchen. It was also observed that houses using fuel wood for cooking showed more prevalence (69.9% of ARI) when compared to less prevalence in houses using LPG & Electricity (27.7%). Thus the correlation between increased indoor air pollution and the increased prevalence of ARI is established.