Objective: To investigate the relationship between environmental risk factors and respiratory and eye symptoms of women in rural areas, so as to provide baseline data for the intervention of indoor air pollution.
Method: A household survey on the environmental risk factors and the health of 1575 rural women was analyzed.
Results: After age and income being adjusted, the OR of smoking, passive smoking, no ventilation indoors, using both coal and biomass versus respiratory symptoms were 2.42, 1.35, 1.52 and 1.44. The OR of cooking years and the age of beginning to cook versus respiratory symptoms were 1.44 and 0.92. The OR of no ventilation indoors, using both coal and biomass versus eye symptoms were 1.67 and 1.49. The OR of cooking years and the age of beginning to cook versus eye symptoms were 1.56 and 0.92. The OR of increasing cooking time everyday versus eye symptoms was 1.36.
Conclusion: Exposure to indoor air pollution during cooking time was the most significant environmental risk factor for the respiratory and eye symptoms in rural women.