How Far do Multiple Sources of Household Air Pollution matter? Explaining Obstructive Airway Disease among Older Adults in India

Obstructive Airway Disease (OAD) is a major health challenge linked with exposure to Household Air Pollution (HAP). Evidence on HAP and OAD is limited to pollution due to unclean fuels. Evidence is lacking on air pollution due to non-fuel sources. This paper assessed the impact of different forms of HAP on lung functions among older adults aged 45 years and above. Our study presents a novel attempt at understanding different types of HAP and theirassociation with OAD, using data from Wave 1 of the Longitudinal Ageing Study in India (LASI Wave 1). Spirometry test of 34,901 individuals constitutes the final sample size for our analysis. A nested multivariate logistic regression model was used to assess the effect of HAP on OAD in India. There were wide variations in the pattern of HAP across Indian states. A positive association between OAD and the usage of stimulating agents and smoking inside the house (OR 1.09 [95% CI 1.00-1.186]; p<0.010) were found after controlling for socio-economic, demographic and health behavior covariates. The odds of having OAD increased with an increase in exposure to a number of polluting agents. Our finding is attributed to the fact that HAP does not get restricted to cooking fuel only. Other risk factors include increasing age, residing in urban areas, being male and low levels of education. Policy interventions need to recognize different household stimulating agents and smoking inside the house as potential household pollutants and educate people to reduce their use for better lung function.