Burden of headaches, eye irritation and respiratory symptoms among females stacking LPG with polluting cooking fuels: Modelling from peri-urban Cameroon, Ghana & Kenya.

Introduction: Liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) is a clean cooking fuel that emits less household air pollution (HAP) than polluting cooking fuels (e.g. charcoal, wood).

Household concentrations and female and child exposures to air pollution in peri-urban sub-Saharan Africa: measurements from the CLEAN-Air(Africa) study.

Background: Relatively clean cooking fuels such as liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) emit less fine particulate matter (PM) and carbon monoxide (CO) than polluting fuels (eg, wood, charcoal). Yet, some clean cooking interventions have not achieved substantial exposure reductions. This study evaluates determinants of between-community variability in exposures to household air pollution (HAP) across sub-Saharan Africa.

Chronic airflow obstruction and ambient particulate air pollution.

Smoking is the most well-established cause of chronic airflow obstruction (CAO) but particulate air pollution and poverty have also been implicated. We regressed sex-specific prevalence of CAO from 41 Burden of Obstructive Lung Disease study sites against smoking prevalence from the same study, the gross national income per capita and the local annual mean level of ambient particulate matter (PM) using negative binomial regression. The prevalence of CAO was not independently associated with PM but was strongly associated with smoking and was also associated with poverty.

Incidence and impact of hospital-acquired complications in an internal medicine unit of a reference hospital in Cameroon: a prospective cohort study.

Background: Hospital-acquired complications (HACs) contribute to increased morbidity, mortality and hospital costs. However, their burden is often overlooked in resource-limited settings. We sought to determine the incidence, risk factors and effects of HACs on direct medical costs.

Drivers of the Adoption and Exclusive Use of Clean Fuel for Cooking in Sub-Saharan Africa: Learnings and Policy Considerations from Cameroon.

Household air pollution (HAP) caused by the combustion of solid fuels for cooking and heating is responsible for almost 5% of the global burden of disease. In response, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has recommended the urgent need to scale the adoption of clean fuels, such as liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), in low and middle-income countries (LMICs). To understand the drivers of the adoption and exclusive use of LPG for cooking, we analysed representative survey data from 3343 peri-urban and rural households in Southwest Cameroon.

Using photovoice methods as a community-based participatory research tool to advance uptake of clean cooking and improve health: The LPG adoption in Cameroon evaluation studies.

Each year up to 2.6 million people die prematurely from household air pollution (HAP) due to cooking with polluting fuels such as wood and charcoal, particularly in low and middle-income countries (LMICs). The World Health Organisation recommends scaling the adoption of clean fuels to improve maternal and child health.

Questionnaires for Lung Health in Africa across the Life Course.

Respiratory infections remain a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in many low and middle-income countries but non-communicable disease rates are rising fast. Prevalence studies have been primarily symptom-focused, with tools developed in countries in the Global North such as the United States and the United Kingdom. Systematic study in sub-Saharan African populations is necessary to accurately reflect disease risk factors present in these populations.

Assessment of asthma control using asthma control test in chest clinics in Cameroon: a cross-sectional study.

Introduction: The goal of asthma treatment is to obtain and maintain a good control of symptoms. Investigating factors associated with inadequately control asthma could help in strategies to improve asthma control. This study aimed to determine the prevalence and factors associated with inadequately controlled asthma in asthma patients under chest specialist care.

Post-tuberculous lung function impairment in a tuberculosis reference clinic in Cameroon.

Background: After completion of treatment, a proportion of pulmonary TB (pTB) patients experience lung function impairment which can influence their quality of life. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of lung function impairment in patients treated for pTB and investigate its associated factors.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in TB clinic of the Douala Laquintinie Hospital in Cameroon.

Sensitization to common aeroallergens in a population of young adults in a sub-Saharan Africa setting: a cross-sectional study.

Background: Sensitization to aeroallergens increases the risk of developing asthma or allergic rhinitis. Data on sensitization to airborne allergens in the general population in sub-Saharan Africa are lacking. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence and determinants of sensitization to common aeroallergens in a population of young adults.

Prevalence and determinants of cigarette smoking among college students: a cross-sectional study in Douala, Cameroon.

Background: Tobacco is the most important avoidable risk for non communicable diseases. While tobacco consumption is stable or declining in developed countries, it is increasing in the developing world with a rate of 3.4 % per annum.

Prevalence and determinants of excessive daytime sleepiness in hypertensive patients: a cross-sectional study in Douala, Cameroon.

Objective: To determine the prevalence and determinants of excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS) among a group of sub-Saharan Africans living with hypertension.

Design: A cross-sectional study.

Setting: Cardiology outpatient unit of the Douala General Hospital in Cameroon.

Sensitization to workplace respiratory allergens among bakery workers in Douala, Cameroon: a cross-sectional study.

Background: Sensitization to flour or fungal alpha-amylase is a prerequisite for the development of respiratory allergy in bakers. The knowledge of occupational allergen sensitization among bakery workers will facilitate the implementation of preventive measures for respiratory allergies in bakeries. The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence and factors associated with sensitization to wheat flour and α-amylase in bakers in Douala.

Effects of cooking fuel smoke on respiratory symptoms and lung function in semi-rural women in Cameroon.

Background: Indoor air pollution is a major health problem in the developing world. In sub-Saharan Africa more than 90% of people rely on biomass to meet their domestic energy demands. Pollution from biomass fuel ranks 10th among preventable risk factors contributing to the global burden of diseases.

Prevalence and risk factors for allergic rhinitis in bakers in Douala, Cameroon.

Objective: To determine the prevalence and risk factors of allergic rhinitis among bakers in Douala.

Design: A cross-sectional study; the logistic regression model was use to find the risk factors of allergic rhinitis.

Setting: The study was conducted in 42 bakeries randomly selected among a total of 151 bakeries in the city of Douala.