Association between household solid fuel use and dual sensory impairment in a Chinese population: a retrospective cohort study

TL;DR

Using solid fuels at home increases the risk of dual sensory impairment in older Chinese adults, suggesting clean fuels could help reduce this risk.

Contribution

This study identifies a novel association between household solid fuel use and dual sensory impairment in a Chinese population.

Findings

Solid fuel use at baseline was linked to a higher DSI risk (OR = 1.23).

The clean fuels and solid fuels group had increased DSI risk (OR = 1.50).

Males in the solid fuels and clean fuels group had lower DSI risk compared to those in the solid fuels and solid fuels group.

Abstract

Dual sensory impairment (DSI) is more harmful than a single visual impairment or hearing impairment. We aimed to explore the relationship between household fuel use and the risk of DSI in the middle-aged and older adult Chinese population.

Data from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS) 2015 of 8,083 participants aged ≥45 years were used, followed up to 2018. Household fuels include heating fuels and cooking fuels. Participants were divided into four groups based on the type of household fuel use at baseline (2015) and during follow-up (2018) (baseline and follow-up): clean fuels and clean fuels, clean fuels and solid fuels, solid fuels and clean fuels, and solid fuels and solid fuels. Logistic regression models were used to assess the association between household fuel use and the risk of DSI, and odds ratio (OR) with 95% confidence interval (CI) was utilized to evaluate the association.

Of these 8,083 participants, 886 (10.96%) had hearing impairment, 2,361 (29.21%) had visual impairment, and 505 (6.25%) had DSI. The use of solid fuels at baseline (OR = 1.23, 95%CI: 1.02–1.49) was associated with a higher risk of DSI compared to the use of clean fuels. People in the clean fuels and solid fuels group (OR = 1.50, 95%CI: 1.04–2.16) and the solid fuels and solid fuels group (OR = 1.38, 95%CI: 1.10–1.73) were linked to an increased risk of DSI compared to people in the clean fuels and clean fuels group, whereas no significant difference was observed in the effect on DSI between people in the solid fuels and clean fuels group and the clean fuels and clean fuels group (p = 0.99). Subgroup analysis demonstrated that males in the solid fuels and clean fuels group (OR = 0.60, 95%CI: 0.39–0.92) had a lower risk of DSI compared to those in the solid fuels and solid fuels group.

Household solid fuel use is associated with an increased risk of DSI in middle-aged and older Chinese people, and promoting the use of clean fuels is beneficial in reducing the burden of DSI.

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