Relative Risk of Respiratory Infection among Rural Households Using Solid Fuel in West Azerbaijan Province and Evaluation of Its Influencing Factors

Indoor air pollution in homes using solid fuel causes respiratory infection based on the studies performed. This study was conducted to evaluate relative risk of respiratory infection and its influencing environmental factors in solid fuel consuming households in West Azerbaijan province. Population of the cities with more than 200 households using solid fuel was studied in West Azerbaijan province. Data were collected from daily recorded diseases forms existing in rural household files in health centers. The obtained data were analyzed by statistical tests at the 5% level of confidence using SPSS software. According to the results, 18% of the populations surveyed consume solid fuel with 16.8% of them using wood and animal manure. 75.4% of households bake bread in indoor environment. In total, heating devices of 90% of households using solid fuel have not been equipped with ventilation system. According to data analysis and Pearson correlation, respiratory infections were significantly correlated with solid fuel consumption and odds of disease occurrence in individuals using solid fuel were high. Correlation between consumption of poor fuel for heating and cooking in rural households and respiratory infections implies that optimizing fuel consumption and increasing public awareness may decrease occurrence of diseases among target population.