Indoor Solid Fuel Use and Non-Neoplastic Digestive System Diseases: A Population-Based Cohort Study Among Chinese Middle-Aged and Older Population

Objectives: We tended to explore the association of indoor air pollution (IAP) and non-neoplastic digestive system diseases (NNDSD) among the Chinese middle-aged and older population.Methods: From 2011 to 2018, we included 7884 NNDSD-free adults from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS). Physician-diagnosed NNDSD was obtained by self-reported information at baseline and updated across follow-up surveys. We investigated the associations between baseline exposure of solid fuel use for cooking and/or heating and NNDSD diagnosed during follow-up through Cox proportional hazard models. Furthermore, we examined the relationship between cooking fuel switching and NNDSD diagnosed during follow-up.Results: Solid fuel use for cooking and/or heating was positively associated with NNDSD after adjusting for potential confounders. The risk of NNDSD among subjects who always use solid fuel for cooking (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR]: 1.42; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.09, 1.84) was higher than those with always clean fuels. Moreover, we found a lower NNDSD risk among participants who switched from solid to clean cooking fuel (aHR: 0.65; 95% CI: 0.49, 0.87) than those with always solid fuels.Conclusion: Our present study shows that indoor solid fuel use is a dependent risk factor for NNDSD. Moreover, switching to clean fuel may contribute to the prevention of digestive system illnesses.

Automated summary

This study aimed to explore the association between indoor air pollution (IAP) and non-neoplastic digestive system diseases (NNDSD) among the middle-aged and older population in China. The results showed a positive association between the use of solid fuel for cooking and/or heating and NNDSD. Switching to clean fuel was found to be associated with a lower risk of NNDSD.