ArticlePloS one2023
Indoor air pollutants and respiratory symptoms among residents of an informal urban settlement in Uganda: A cross-sectional study.
Article in PloS one, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 12 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
12 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Impact of prenatal and postnatal household air pollution exposure on respiratory morbidity and lung function in sub-Saharan African children: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Environmental health : a global access science source · 2025Pooled it
- Prevalence, antimicrobial resistance, and risk factors of pneumococcal disease among preschool children in Bushenyi District, Uganda.BMC infectious diseases · 2026Article
- Preserved Ratio Impaired Spirometry in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: An Emerging Cardiopulmonary Phenotype and Cardiovascular Risk-A Narrative Review.Life (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Review
- Personal PM2.5 exposure and lung function among adults with and without HIV who have recovered from pneumonia in Kampala, Uganda.Annals of the American Thoracic Society · 2026Article
- Respiratory symptoms in Ecuadorian workers associated with informal labor and cantonal satellite pollution metrics.Frontiers in public health · 2026Article
- Indoor and outdoor fine particulate matter and carbon monoxide concentrations in homes of infants in Nairobi, Kenya.PLOS global public health · 2026Article
- The effect of indoor air pollution on under-five child health in South Sudan.BMC public health · 2025Article
- Health Trade-Offs of Boiling Drinking Water with Solid Fuels: A Modeling Study.Environmental health perspectives · 2025Article
- Article
- The FRESHAIR4Life study: Global implementation research on non-communicable disease prevention targeting adolescents' exposure to tobacco and air pollution in disadvantaged populations.NPJ primary care respiratory medicine · 2024Review
- Understanding the Risk Factors, Burden, and Interventions for Chronic Respiratory Diseases in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: A Scoping Review.Public health reviews · 2024Article
- Association between recent COVID-19 diagnosis, depression and anxiety symptoms among slum residents in Kampala, Uganda.PloS one · 2023Article
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Authors and funding
10 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundIndoor air pollutants (IAP) and household conditions such as dampness, crowding and chemical exposures have been associated with acute and chronic respiratory infections. In Uganda, literature on the effects of IAP on respiratory outcomes in informal settlements is limited.
methodsWe describe the baseline household characteristics of 284 adults and their children in an informal settlement in Uganda from April to May 2022. We monitored same-day indoor concentrations of particulate matter PM2.5, PM10, Carbon monoxide (CO), relative humidity %, and temperature from 9 am to 2 pm and interviewed caregivers/mothers about their respiratory symptoms and those of their children in the previous 30 days. We employed robust Poisson regressions to evaluate the associations between indoor air indicators and respiratory health symptoms.
resultsApproximately 94.7% of households primarily used biomass fuels and 32.7% cooked from inside their dwelling rooms. The median PM2.5, PM10 and CO levels were 49.5 (Interquartile range (IQR) = 31.1,86.2) μg/m3, 73.6 (IQR = 47.3,130.5) μg/m3 and 7.70 (IQR = 4.1,12.5) ppm respectively. Among adults, a 10 unit increase in PM2.5 was associated with cough (Prevalence Ratio (PR) = 3.75, 95%CI 1.15-1.55). Dwelling unit dampness was associated with phlegm (PR = 2.53, 95%CI = 1.39-4.61) and shortness of breath (PR = 1.78, 95% CI 1.23-2.54) while cooking from outside the house was protective against shortness of breath (PR = 0.62, 95% CI = 0.44-0.87). In children, dampness was associated with phlegm (PR = 13.87, 95% CI 3.16-60.91) and cough (PR = 1.62, 95% CI 1.12-2.34) while indoor residual spraying was associated with phlegm (PR = 3.36, 95%CI 1.71-6.61).
conclusionPoor indoor air conditions were associated with respiratory symptoms in adults and children. Efforts to address indoor air pollution should be made to protect adults and children from adverse health effects.
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