Impact of household solid fuel use on blood pressure and hypertension among adults in China

The widespread use of solid fuel as primary household energy resource has been demonstrated to be linked to significant adverse health effects. However, limited studies examined the cardiovascular-related health effects of household solid fuel exposure, especially from the view of blood pressure (BP) measurements, a leading risk factor for cardiovascular diseases. Using a large-scale population-based data, this study evaluated the association between household solid fuel exposure and adults’ blood pressure as well as hypertension in nine provinces of China. Multiple linear regression and logistic regression models were used to estimate the coefficients, odd ratios (ORs), and the corresponding 95 % confidence intervals (CI). After adjusting for potential confounders, we observed a 0.75 % (95 % CI 0.74–0.76 %, p < 0.05) higher systolic blood pressure (SBP) and 1.05 % (95 % CI 1.04–1.06 %, p < 0.01) higher diastolic blood pressure (DBP) in current solid fuel users. Users with longest duration of solid fuel exposure had a 1.63 % (95 % CI 1.62–1.64 %, p < 0.01) higher SBP and 1.31 % (95 % CI 1.30–1.32 %, p < 0.01) higher DBP than non-users. Besides, current use of solid fuel also was associated with an increased risk for hypertension (OR = 1.11, 95 % CI 1.11–1.12 %). Compared with non-users, those with the longest duration of solid fuel also experienced a larger risk of hypertension with an OR of 1.55 (95 % CI 1.54–1.56 %). The findings suggest that solid fuel exposure may link to higher blood pressure and elevated risk of hypertension in adults in China.