CLEAN-Air(Africa) is pleased to announce the completion of Data collection for a lung function study measuring the association between fuel use, household air pollution (HAP) and respiratory and cardiovascular disease in Cameroon.
The Data Collection, which began in February 2023, was performed by the Douala General Hospital field team based in Mbalmayo and led by Principal Investigator Prof. Bertrand Mbatchou.
The aim was to recruit 1,300 households over a six-month period, consisting of 650 households cooking exclusively on biomass (charcoal and firewood) and 650 mainly on LPG. The lung fucntion study site chosen was Mbalmayo, a peri-urban and rural community found in the Center Region, about 41 km from Yaoundé, the political capital of Cameroon.
To this end, eight field workers were responsible for recruiting main household cooks aged 35 years and older as participants. Participants who satisfied the inclusion criteria underwent a spirometry test.
This consisted of breathing into a tube with varying degrees of effort to obtain a complete assessment of lung function. Under the guidance of the fieldworkers and following a demonstration by them, the participants performed the spirometry tests.
Participant feedback was positive, they were excited to take part in the study and wanted to learn more about the health of their lungs.
A total sample of 1,312 households was achieved. The next phase of the study is the data analysis, which will feature an assessment of the impact of cooking fuel choices on lung function.
