Household solid fuel use with diabetes and fasting blood glucose levels among middle-aged and older adults in China

Abstract

To explore the impacts of household solid fuel use for cooking and heating on diabetes and fasting blood glucose (FBG) levels, we used data from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study, a national survey including middle-aged and older adults. Multivariable logistic and linear regression models were used to explore the relationship between household solid fuel use (coal, crop residue, and wood) for cooking and heating with diabetes and FBG levels. Subgroup analyses were also performed based on age, sex, region of residence, smoking status, and body mass index to examine potential interactions between the variables and household solid fuel use. Among the 6195 participants, 75.4% and 61.4%, respectively, used solid fuels for heating and cooking. Relative to clean fuel users, solid fuel users had higher odds of diabetes (heating: OR, 1.21; 95% CI, 1.01-1.44; cooking: OR, 1.31; 95% CI, 1.12-1.53) and higher FBG levels (heating: β = 3.23; 95% CI, 1.10-5.36; cooking: β = 2.86; 95% CI, 0.95-4.77). Simultaneous use of solid fuels for cooking/heating was also positively associated with diabetes (OR, 1.31; 95% CI, 1.07-1.61) and FBG (β = 4.30; 95% CI, 1.82-6.78). No significant interactions were detected between subgroup variables and the impacts of solid fuel use on diabetes and FBG. Household solid fuel use is positively associated with diabetes and FBG levels. These findings imply that inhibiting household solid fuel use may contribute to decreasing diabetes development in China.

Keywords: Cooking; Cross-sectional study; Diabetes mellitus; Fasting blood glucose; Heating; Household solid fuel.