Traditional biomass stove indoor air pollution continues to be a serious public health concern, especially in low- and middle-income nations where cooking exposes women the most. Long-term smoke and particulate matter intake have been connected to respiratory symptoms such wheezing, shortness of breath, and persistent cough, which increases morbidity in women. As a greener option, improved cooking stoves (ICS) have been developed with the goal of lowering emissions and increasing fuel economy. However, little is known about how usage factors, such as frequency of use affect respiratory related symptoms. The purpose of this study was to examine the Influence of ICS usage characteristics on incidences of respiratory related symptoms among women in Nakuru Town East suburbs. The study utilized mixed-method research design. Data collection tools included questionnaires for households and semi structured interview guides for FGDs and KIIs. 315 female heads of households were sampled and completed the questionnaire. Quantitative data was analyzed using descriptive statistics and logistic regression. Qualitative data was content analyzed. Findings indicates that 74.9% had used ICS on the day the research was conducted, while 25.1% did not use it that day. Eighty-three-point four percent of owners used an ICS prior to their current one, and 16.6% (52) did not. On Daily usage patterns, 51.1% were using ICS for all meals, 25.7% for two meals, 13.7% for dinner only, 4.4% for lunch only or other meals, and 0.6% for breakfast only. Further findings also showed that, Women who had not used an ICS prior to their current one was 1.66 times more likely to report a cough, though the result remains marginally insignificant (p = 0.106). Findings of the study suggest that experience with ICS use over time may lower respiratory symptoms, possibly due to increased familiarity and effective use.
Muchendu et al. (Fri,) studied this question.