Indoor Air Pollution in India and a Baby's Size at Birth: Is there a Link?

An association between exposure to biofuels and adverse pregnancy outcomes has been reported in some developing countries of Asia and Latin America. In India where more than 70% of households use biomass for cooking and heating purposes hardly any research has been done to find out if there is a possible link between exposure to biofuels and adverse pregnancy outcomes. In the present study an attempt has been made to find out if there is a plausible link between indoor air pollution (as determined by exposure to biofuels) and a babys size at birth (a proxy for low birth weight) in India by using data from the National Family Health Survey 1998-99. The results of logistic regressions show that using biomass as cooking fuel is a very significant predictor in determining a babys size at birth even after controlling for a number of confounding variables. In addition there are other demographic socio-economic and spatial characteristics that have a very significant influence in determining the size of a baby at birth in India. (authors)