Household Fuel Use and Prevalence of Self-reported Allergic Rhinitis in Rural Areas of Mpumalanga, South Africa

Household air pollution (HAP) exposure caused by burning of solid fuels during cooking and heating is associated with adverse health impacts. Such effects include respiratory allergic reactions and asthma. Most households in South Africa use mainly firewood and animal biomass for cooking. The use of traditional fuel for cooking and heating has been associated with allergic rhinitis especially in rural areas of South Africa. A cross-sectional study was conducted were 167 households were randomly selected after different locations were stratified. A questionnaire with both closed and open-ended questions adopted from International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC) was used. The prevalence of household reported allergic rhinitis in the different locations were Bhubhane (64%), Mahlabatsini (53%), Masakeni (50%), Babrook (48%), KaJohn (34%) and KaDukies (23%). Allergic rhinitis was significantly associated with the use of coal, wood and kerosene. We did not find any association between allergic rhinitis and the use of charcoal and animal dung. The study showed a high prevalence of household-reported allergic rhinitis amongst children in rural areas. The findings indicate the role of particulate matter from burning traditional fuel indoors as a risk factor to allergic rhinitis.