Public Health England North West, Preston PR1 0LD, UK.
Department of Public Health and Policy and Systems, University of Liverpool, Liverpool L69 3GB, UK.
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2020 Aug 13;17(16):5874. doi: 10.3390/ijerph17165874.
Household air pollution (HAP) caused by the combustion of solid fuels for cooking and heating is responsible for almost 5% of the global burden of disease. In response, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has recommended the urgent need to scale the adoption of clean fuels, such as liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), in low and middle-income countries (LMICs). To understand the drivers of the adoption and exclusive use of LPG for cooking, we analysed representative survey data from 3343 peri-urban and rural households in Southwest Cameroon. Surveys used standardised tools to collect information on fuel use, socio-demographic and household characteristics and use of LPG for clean cooking. Most households reported LPG to be clean (95%) and efficient (88%), but many also perceived it to be expensive (69%) and unsafe (64%). Positive perceptions about LPG's safety (OR = 2.49, 95% CI = 2.04, 3.05), cooking speed (OR = 4.31, 95% CI = 2.62, 7.10), affordability (OR = 1.7, 95% CI = 1.38, 2.09), availability (OR = 2.17, 95% CI = 1.72, 2.73), and its ability to cook most dishes (OR = 3.79, 95% CI = 2.87, 5.01), were significantly associated with exclusive LPG use. Socio-economic status (higher education) and household wealth (higher income) were also associated with a greater likelihood of LPG adoption. Effective strategies to raise awareness around safe use of LPG and interventions to address financial barriers are needed to scale wider adoption and sustained use of LPG for clean cooking, displacing reliance on polluting solid fuels.
家庭空气污染（HAP）是由固体燃料燃烧烹饪和取暖造成的，它导致了全球近 5%的疾病负担。因此，世界卫生组织（WHO）建议，迫切需要在低收入和中等收入国家（LMICs）推广使用清洁燃料，如液化石油气（LPG）。为了了解采用和独家使用 LPG 烹饪的驱动因素，我们分析了来自喀麦隆西南部 3343 个城乡家庭的代表性调查数据。调查使用标准化工具收集有关燃料使用、社会人口和家庭特征以及使用 LPG 进行清洁烹饪的信息。大多数家庭报告称 LPG 清洁（95%）且高效（88%），但许多家庭也认为 LPG 昂贵（69%）且不安全（64%）。对 LPG 安全性（OR=2.49，95%CI=2.04，3.05）、烹饪速度（OR=4.31，95%CI=2.62，7.10）、负担能力（OR=1.7，95%CI=1.38，2.09）、可用性（OR=2.17，95%CI=1.72，2.73）和能烹饪大多数菜肴（OR=3.79，95%CI=2.87，5.01）的正面看法与独家使用 LPG 显著相关。社会经济地位（高等教育）和家庭财富（高收入）也与采用 LPG 的可能性更大相关。需要制定有效的策略来提高对 LPG 安全使用的认识，并采取干预措施来解决财政障碍，以扩大 LPG 清洁烹饪的采用和持续使用，从而减少对污染性固体燃料的依赖。
