A Brief Report on the Health Impacts of Biomass Fuel Use on Maternal and Fetal Outcomes in Rural Ethiopia: An African Perspective

This brief report addresses the critical public health issue of household air pollution from biomass fuel combustion and its specific impacts on perinatal health in rural Ethiopia. Despite global progress, reliance on biomass for cooking remains prevalent, posing severe risks during pregnancy. This community-based cross-sectional study aimed to quantify the association between biomass fuel use and adverse perinatal outcomes. Conducted between 2023 and 2024, it involved 420 pregnant women from the Oromia region. Data were collected via structured questionnaires and clinical records, assessing primary cooking fuel, exposure duration, and birth outcomes. Multivariable logistic regression analysis, adjusting for key confounders including maternal age and socioeconomic status, revealed a significant positive association. Pregnant women using biomass had an adjusted odds ratio of 2.3 for delivering low birth weight infants and 1.8 for preterm birth, compared to those using cleaner fuels. Maternal reports of acute respiratory infection symptoms were also markedly more frequent in biomass-using households. These findings underscore biomass combustion as a persistent and modifiable risk factor. The report concludes that accelerating the transition to clean household energy is not merely an environmental objective but an urgent maternal and child health imperative. It calls for integrated public health strategies that combine cleaner technology dissemination with targeted antenatal education.