Abstract
BackgroundCohort studies on the impact of biomass fuel use for cooking on cognitive impairment among older population are still lacking in China and elsewhere. The aim of this study was to examine whether biomass fuel use for cooking is associated with cognitive impairment in Chinese adults aged 65 years or older.MethodsThe prospective population-based cohort study of the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey (CLHLS) included participants aged 65 years or older in 2014 who were followed-up until 2018 in 23 provinces in China. The Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) was used to assess cognitive function, and cognitive impairment was defined as total MMSE scores less than 18. The association between biomass fuel use and cognitive impairment was evaluated using the Cox proportional hazards model.ResultsOf the 4145 participants included at baseline, participants who reported that they used biomass fuel for cooking (40.43%; IR: 3.11 versus 2.77 per 100 person-years; aHR: 1.27, 95% CI: 1.02–1.58) had a higher risk of cognitive impairment compared with participants who used clean fuels (53.75%). A stratified analyses showed greater effect estimates of cognitive impairment in the older people that lived in the rural areas (aHR: 1.444, 95% CI: 1.08–3.90) and never smoked (aHR: 1.33, 95% CI: 1.04–1.71).ConclusionsThese findings demonstrated that biomass fuel used for cooking was associated with cognitive impairment, as defined by MMSE, in a population-based study of elderly in China. To prevent cognitive impairment, the structure of cooking fuels requires improvements.
Highlights
Cohort studies on the impact of biomass fuel use for cooking on cognitive impairment among older population are still lacking in China and elsewhere
According to χ2 tests, some characteristics were similar across the cooking fuels groups, but differences were found according to age, sex, education level, residence, household income, marital status, regular exercise, ventilation of the kitchen when cooking at home, diet of fresh fruit or vegetables, limited in activities because of health problems during the last 6 months, body mass index (BMI), and self-reported previous diseases
In the multivariable-adjusted analysis, after adjusting for all of the covariates, the association between biomass fuel use and cognitive impairment risk had a slightly diminished magnitude, but was still significant
Summary
Cohort studies on the impact of biomass fuel use for cooking on cognitive impairment among older population are still lacking in China and elsewhere. The aim of this study was to examine whether biomass fuel use for cooking is associated with cognitive impairment in Chinese adults aged 65 years or older. Clean fuels for cooking have been recommended in recent years, globally, 80% of the rural population and < 15% of the urban population still lack access to clean cooking [1]. One study reported that solid fuels used for cooking significantly increased the possibility and exacerbation of chronic lung diseases and heart diseases of the elderly in rural China [9]. The burning of biomass fuels on the health outcomes of older people requires more attention due to the higher HAP levels
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