Background: Household air pollution is a leading risk factor for respiratory morbidity and mortality in developing countries where
biomass fuel is mainly used for cooking.
Materials and Method: A household cross-sectional survey was conducted in a predominantly rural area of Ghana in 2007 to
determine the prevalence of respiratory symptoms and their associated risk factors. Household cooking practices were also assessed
as part of the survey.
Results: Household heads of twelve thousand, three hundred and thirty-three households were interviewed. Fifty-seven percent
(7006/12333) of these households had at least one child less than five years of age. The prevalence of symptoms of acute lower
respiratory infections (ALRI) was 13.7% (n= 957, 95% CI 12.8 – 15.5%). A majority (77.8%, 95% CI, 77.7 - 78.5%) of households
used wood as their primary fuel. Majority of respondents who used wood as their primary fuel obtained them by gathering wood
from their neighborhood (95.6%, 9177/9595) and used a 3-stone local stove for cooking (94.9%, 9101/9595). In a randomly
selected subset of respondents, females were the persons who mostly gathered firewood from the fields (90.8%, 296/326) and did the
cooking (94.8%, 384/406) for the household.
Conclusion: Symptoms of ALRI reported by caregivers is high in the Kintampo area of Ghana where biomass fuel use is also high.
There is the need to initiate interventions that use improved cook stoves and to test the health benefits of such interventions.