Association between biomass fuel use and the risk of cognitive impairment among older populations in China: a population-based cohort study
Open Access
- 24 February 2021
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Springer Science and Business Media LLC in Environmental Health
- Vol. 20 (1), 1-11
- https://doi.org/10.1186/s12940-021-00706-1
Abstract
Cohort studies on the impact of biomass fuel use for cooking on cognitive impairment among older population are still lacking in China and elsewhere. The aim of this study was to examine whether biomass fuel use for cooking is associated with cognitive impairment in Chinese adults aged 65 years or older. The prospective population-based cohort study of the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey (CLHLS) included participants aged 65 years or older in 2014 who were followed-up until 2018 in 23 provinces in China. The Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) was used to assess cognitive function, and cognitive impairment was defined as total MMSE scores less than 18. The association between biomass fuel use and cognitive impairment was evaluated using the Cox proportional hazards model. Of the 4145 participants included at baseline, participants who reported that they used biomass fuel for cooking (40.43%; IR: 3.11 versus 2.77 per 100 person-years; aHR: 1.27, 95% CI: 1.02–1.58) had a higher risk of cognitive impairment compared with participants who used clean fuels (53.75%). A stratified analyses showed greater effect estimates of cognitive impairment in the older people that lived in the rural areas (aHR: 1.444, 95% CI: 1.08–3.90) and never smoked (aHR: 1.33, 95% CI: 1.04–1.71). These findings demonstrated that biomass fuel used for cooking was associated with cognitive impairment, as defined by MMSE, in a population-based study of elderly in China. To prevent cognitive impairment, the structure of cooking fuels requires improvements.Keywords
Funding Information
- the National Key Research and Development Project of China (2019YFC1710301; 2020YFC0846300)
This publication has 28 references indexed in Scilit:
- Cognitive impairment and mortality among the oldest‐old ChineseInternational Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 2016
- Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and cognitive impairment in the Chinese elderly population: a large national surveyInternational Journal of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, 2016
- Air pollution, a rising environmental risk factor for cognition, neuroinflammation and neurodegeneration: The clinical impact on children and beyondRevue Neurologique, 2016
- Air pollution and your brain: what do you need to know right nowPrimary Health Care Research & Development, 2014
- Fine Particulate Matter Air Pollution and Cognitive Function Among Older US AdultsAmerican Journal of Epidemiology, 2014
- Fine Particulate Matter Air Pollution and Cognitive Function Among U.S. Older AdultsThe Journals of Gerontology, Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences, 2014
- Indoor air pollution and respiratory health in the elderlyJournal of Environmental Science and Health, Part A, 2013
- Hypertension with elevated levels of oxidized low-density lipoprotein and anticardiolipin antibody in the circulation of premenopausal Indian women chronically exposed to biomass smoke during cookingIndoor Air, 2010
- The Effects of a Ketogenic Diet on Behavioral Outcome after Controlled Cortical Impact Injury in the Juvenile and Adult RatJournal of Neurotrauma, 2009
- “Mini-mental state”: A practical method for grading the cognitive state of patients for the clinicianJournal of Psychiatric Research, 1975