141st APHA Annual Meeting

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295225
Lack of fresh air for pregnant women to breathe: Global consequences and potential solutions

Monday, November 4, 2013 : 9:30 AM - 9:45 AM

Patricia Hibberd, MD PhD , Dept of Pediatrics, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA
Half the world's population and up to 90% of rural households in resource limited settings rely on unprocessed biomass fuels such as crop residues for cooking and heating. These fuels result in household air pollution (HAP), particularly carbon monoxide, polyaromatic hydrocarbons and particulate matter.

Pregnant women and their children are at risk of exposure to HAP because of time spent in the household. Exposure to HAP for the women increases the risk of hypertension and COPD; for their babies increases the risk of being born preterm, low birth-weight or dying in the perinatal period.

In September 2010, the United Nations Foundation announced the Global Alliance for Clean Cook Stoves, a new public-private partnership to save lives, empower women, improve livelihoods, and combat climate change.

The important question is --- are the proposed new cooking solutions practical and do they improve the health and lives of pregnant women and their babies?

Learning Areas:
Advocacy for health and health education
Clinical medicine applied in public health
Program planning
Public health or related research

Learning Objectives:
Describe the consequences of exposure to household air pollution to pregnant women and their babies globally Discuss the global plans and initiatives to reduce household air pollution using advanced cook stoves and improved fuels

Keywords: Maternal and Child Health, Air Pollutants

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: Previous experience in this area
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.