TY - JOUR
T1 - Prevalence of Cooking-Related Burns in Peri-Urban Cameroon, Ghana, and Kenya by Fuel Type
AU - Abuga, Jonathan A.
AU - Arthur, Gohole
AU - Mwitari, James
AU - Shupler, Matthew
AU - Simiyu, Willah Nabukwangwa
AU - Lorenzetti, Federico
AU - Puzzolo, Elisa
AU - Tawiah, Theresa
AU - Asante, Kwaku Poku
AU - Iddi, Samuel
AU - Mangeni, Judith
AU - Sang, Edna
AU - Menya, Diana
AU - Baame, Miranda
AU - Betang, Emmanuel
AU - Ngahane, Bertrand Hugo Mbatchou
AU - Nix, Emily
AU - Pope, Daniel
AU - Quansah, Reginald
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2025 Pure Earth. All rights reserved.
PY - 2025/12
Y1 - 2025/12
N2 - BACKGROUND: Over 70% of Africans rely on polluting sources of energy for cooking. There is a paucity of epidemiological evidence on the burden of cooking fuel–related burns (CRBs) among women and children in low- and middle-income countries. OBJECTIVES: We estimated the prevalence of CRBs and association with main fuel choice among primary cooks and children 0–5 years of age in peri-urban areas in Kenya, Cameroon, and Ghana. METHODS: We conducted a multisite cross-sectional survey in Mbalmayo, Cameroon; Obuasi, Ghana; and Eldoret, Kenya. Standardized questionnaires were administered between April 2019 and February 2020 to primary cooks. Questions included sociodemographic characteristics, primary fuel choice, and experience of burns within the previous 12 months. Overall and site-specific prevalence of CRBs were calculated, and their association with primary cooking fuel type was determined. RESULTS: Overall, 128 out of 1,240 primary cooks [10.3%, 95% confidence interval (CI): 8.7, 12.2] reported at least one CRB during the previous 12 months. Most primary cooks had been burned multiple times (median number of burns = 3, interquartile range: 2–5). CRB prevalence among primary cooks in Mbalmayo (23.3%, 95% CI: 19.4, 27.5) was significantly higher than in Obuasi (3.3%, 95% CI: 1.7, 5.8) and Eldoret (3.2%, 95% CI: 1.7, 5.3). Among children, the overall prevalence of CRBs was 5.1% (95% CI: 3.7, 6.9; n = 42) and was comparable across sites: Mbalmayo, 6.5% (95% CI: 4.0, 10.0); Eldoret, 4.7% (95% CI: 2.5, 7.9); and Obuasi, 3.9% (95% CI: 1.9, 7.1). Overall, there was no significant difference in CRB prevalence among liquefied petroleum gas primary users compared with exclusive biomass users considering primary cooks (11.8% vs. 9.2%, p = 0:17) and children (4.4% vs. 5.5%, p = 0:95). Older age [adjusted odds ratio (aOR) = 0:6; 95% CI: 0.3, 0.9; p = 0:03] and higher income (aOR = 0:3; 95% CI: 0.2, 0.5; p < 0:01) significantly lowered odds of CRBs. CONCLUSIONS: CRB prevalence among primary cooks between communities was high but was not related to the main choice of fuel for cooking across the selected study sites. Older age and higher income significantly reduced the risk of CRBs among both primary cooks and their children. https://doi.org/10.1289/JHP1095
AB - BACKGROUND: Over 70% of Africans rely on polluting sources of energy for cooking. There is a paucity of epidemiological evidence on the burden of cooking fuel–related burns (CRBs) among women and children in low- and middle-income countries. OBJECTIVES: We estimated the prevalence of CRBs and association with main fuel choice among primary cooks and children 0–5 years of age in peri-urban areas in Kenya, Cameroon, and Ghana. METHODS: We conducted a multisite cross-sectional survey in Mbalmayo, Cameroon; Obuasi, Ghana; and Eldoret, Kenya. Standardized questionnaires were administered between April 2019 and February 2020 to primary cooks. Questions included sociodemographic characteristics, primary fuel choice, and experience of burns within the previous 12 months. Overall and site-specific prevalence of CRBs were calculated, and their association with primary cooking fuel type was determined. RESULTS: Overall, 128 out of 1,240 primary cooks [10.3%, 95% confidence interval (CI): 8.7, 12.2] reported at least one CRB during the previous 12 months. Most primary cooks had been burned multiple times (median number of burns = 3, interquartile range: 2–5). CRB prevalence among primary cooks in Mbalmayo (23.3%, 95% CI: 19.4, 27.5) was significantly higher than in Obuasi (3.3%, 95% CI: 1.7, 5.8) and Eldoret (3.2%, 95% CI: 1.7, 5.3). Among children, the overall prevalence of CRBs was 5.1% (95% CI: 3.7, 6.9; n = 42) and was comparable across sites: Mbalmayo, 6.5% (95% CI: 4.0, 10.0); Eldoret, 4.7% (95% CI: 2.5, 7.9); and Obuasi, 3.9% (95% CI: 1.9, 7.1). Overall, there was no significant difference in CRB prevalence among liquefied petroleum gas primary users compared with exclusive biomass users considering primary cooks (11.8% vs. 9.2%, p = 0:17) and children (4.4% vs. 5.5%, p = 0:95). Older age [adjusted odds ratio (aOR) = 0:6; 95% CI: 0.3, 0.9; p = 0:03] and higher income (aOR = 0:3; 95% CI: 0.2, 0.5; p < 0:01) significantly lowered odds of CRBs. CONCLUSIONS: CRB prevalence among primary cooks between communities was high but was not related to the main choice of fuel for cooking across the selected study sites. Older age and higher income significantly reduced the risk of CRBs among both primary cooks and their children. https://doi.org/10.1289/JHP1095
UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/105012412980
U2 - 10.1289/JHP1095
DO - 10.1289/JHP1095
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:105012412980
SN - 2156-9614
VL - 13
JO - Journal of Health and Pollution
JF - Journal of Health and Pollution
IS - 1-4
M1 - 017003
ER -
