Cooking with biomass fuels increases the risk of blindness

Publication Date: January 1999

Publisher: International Institute for Population Sciences; East-West Center

Author(s): Vinod K. Mishra; Robert D. Retherford; Kirk R. Smith

Research Area: Energy; Environment; Health

Type: Report

Coverage: India

Abstract:

Women living in households that use biomass cooking fuels, defined in the NFHS as wood and dung, have a much higher prevalence of both partial and complete blindness than women living in households that use cleaner fuels. Among women age 30 and older, 17% of partial blindness and 20% of complete blindness can be attributed to cooking smoke from biomass fuels. The government and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) in India need to strengthen programs that promote improved cookstoves and increase efforts to educate the public about the adverse health effects of cooking smoke. The NFHS Bulletin is a series of four-page policy briefs summarizing secondary analysis of data from the 1992-93 National Family Health Survey (NFHS) in India. The NFHS collected information from nearly 90,000 Indian women on a range of demographic and health topics. Conducted under the auspices of the Indian Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, the survey provides national and state-level estimates of fertility, infant and child mortality, family planning practice, maternal and child health, and the utilization of services available to mothers and children. IIPS conducted the survey in cooperation with consulting organizations and 18 population research centers throughout India. The East-West Center and a U.S.-based consulting firm, Macro International, provided technical assistance, and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) provided financial support. Printed copies are available from the East-West Center Research Program, Population and Health Studies. Single copies are available free by airmail and may be reproduced for educational use.