Awareness of health effects of cooking smoke among women in the Gondar Region of Ethiopia: a pilot survey

We used a single, administered questionnaire which included questions on household circumstances, general health, awareness of health impact of cooking smoke and willingness to change. We interviewed 15 women from each of rural, urban-traditional and middle class backgrounds.Eighty percent of rural women cooked indoors using biomass fuel with no ventilation. Rural women reported two to three times more respiratory disease in their children and in themselves compared to the other two groups. Although aware of the negative effect of smoke on their own health, only 20% of participants realised it caused problems in children, and 13% thought it was a cause for concern. Once aware of adverse effects, women were willing to change cooking practices but were unable to afford cleaner fuels or improved stoves.Increasing the awareness of the health-effects of indoor biomass cooking smoke may be the first step in implementing a programme to reduce exposure.It is estimated that around 3 billion people worldwide rely on wood, stubble, dung and leaves for cooking fuel. Burning biomass fuels on open fires and in inefficient stoves, releases many harmful pollutants [1]. Inhaling these pollutants results in excess respiratory morbidity and mortality in women and children [2]. Known as a "silent killer" [1], over 1.6 million children die annually throughout the developing world from the consequences of exposure to biomass fuel smoke [3]. Exposure to indoor air pollution has been linked with i) a reduction of forced vital capacity [4] ii) an increased risk of acute respiratory infections [5] iii)chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)[6] and iv) lung cancer [7] in women. We have shown higher amounts of carbon in sputum macrophages in women and children exposed to biomass smoke in Ethiopia as compared to those using cleaner fuels in England, suggesting higher amount of pulmonary exposure [8]. Exposure to biomass smoke is therefore a major public health issue [9].Ethiopia, a country