Indoor air pollution prevention practices and associated factors among mothers with under-five children in peri-urban areas of Dessie city, Northeastern Ethiopia.

Indoor air pollution (IAP) from biomass fuel is the biggest environmental cause of death worldwide, accounting for about 4 million deaths every year. Acute respiratory infection (ARI), which is the leading cause of death among under-five children, is mainly due to IAP. Despite the substantial impact of IAP in peri-urban areas, studies on this issue are limited. Thus, a community-based cross-sectional study was conducted from May 1 to June 30, 2024, to evaluate IAP prevention practices and associated factors among 401 systematically selected mothers in peri-urban areas of Dessie City. Data were collected with a face-to-face interviewer-administered questionnaire and an observational checklist. The collected data were entered into Epi-Data version 4.6 and analyzed using SPSS version 25.0 software. Binary logistic regression was done to identify independent factors associated with the dependent variable at a p-value of < 0.05. In this study, 57.6%[95%CI:52.6-62.1] of mothers had good IAP prevention practice. Higher educational level (AOR = 4.9,95%CI:2.10-11.69) and good knowledge about IAP (AOR = 3.8, 95%CI:2.29-6.34) were the factors significantly associated with good IAP prevention practice. The level of good IAP prevention practice among mothers was remarkably low. The present findings suggest that mothers' prevention measures against IAP ought to be improved immediately. Therefore, the Dessie City Health Department must work hard to raise IAP awareness and provide continued supervision in order to enhance mothers' IAP prevention practices. Moreover, governmental and non-governmental organizations should cooperate to stop frequent power outages and provide peri-urban areas with improved cook stoves at a low cost.