Author(s)

Yibin Cheng¹, Jiaqi Kang¹, Fan Liu¹, Bryan A. Bassig², Brian Leaderer², Gongli He¹, Theodore R. Holford², Ning Tang¹, Jian Wang³, Jian He⁴, Yanchang Liu¹, Yingchun Liu¹, Jiang Liu¹, Xun Chen¹, Heng Gu¹, Xiao Ma⁵, Tongzhang Zheng^2*, Yinlong Jin^1*

¹Institute for Environmental Health and Related Product Safety, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing, China.
²Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, USA.
³Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing, China.
⁴Gansu Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Lanzhou, China.
⁵West China School of Public Health, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China.

Given the deleterious health effects associated with indoor air pollution (IAP), this study was conducted to evaluate an IAP intervention in rural areas in Gansu, one of the poorest provinces of China. We selected 371 rural households to take part in intervention measures including stove improvement and health education. Eight of 371 households were selected to conduct IAP sampling. Four hundred and thirteen women in these households completed a questionnaire and 49 women took part in lung function tests. After the intervention, PM₄ levels reduced from 455 μg/m³ to 200 μg/m³ and CO reduced from 3.40 ppm to 2.90 ppm in indoor air. The percentage of predicted value of FEV1 and FVC improved to some degree after the intervention, but all the parameters of lung function assessment did not show a significant change. Prevalence rates of several symptoms associated with IAP significantly declined in the study population, compared with baseline levels. Intervention measures combining stove improvement with health education were effective in reducing IAP levels. Women’s health status, including eye and respiratory symptoms, also showed improvement. However, the effect on lung function was not apparent and warranted additional follow-up. Similarly, evaluation of the long term effects of the IAP intervention will require future studies.

Indoor Air Pollution, Biomass, Lung Function, Respiratory System

Cheng, Y. , Kang, J. , Liu, F. , Bassig, B. , Leaderer, B. , He, G. , Holford, T. , Tang, N. , Wang, J. , He, J. , Liu, Y. , Liu, Y. , Liu, J. , Chen, X. , Gu, H. , Ma, X. , Zheng, T. and Jin, Y. (2015) Effectiveness of an Indoor Air Pollution (IAP) Intervention on Reducing IAP and Improving Women’s Health Status in Rural Areas of Gansu Province, China. Open Journal of Air Pollution, 4, 26-37. doi: 10.4236/ojap.2015.41004.