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Household Air Pollution and Health: A Multi-country LPG Intervention Trial
Sponsor: Emory University
Summary
This study is a randomized controlled trial of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) stove and fuel distribution in 3,200 households in four countries (India, Guatemala, Peru, and Rwanda). Following a common protocol, each intervention site will recruit 800 pregnant women (aged 18-34 years, 9 - \<20 weeks gestation) and will randomly assign half their households to receive LPG stoves and an 18-month supply of LPG. Control households are anticipated to continue to cook primarily with solid biomass fuels and will receive compensation based on a uniform set of trial-wide principles, customized to each site based on formative research. The mother will be followed along with her child until the child is 1 year old. The researchers estimate that 15% of households will have a second, non-pregnant older adult woman (aged 40 to \<80 years) who will also be enrolled at baseline and followed during the 18-month follow-up period. To optimize intervention use, the researchers will implement behavior change strategies informed by previous experiences and formative research in Year 1. This study will assess cookstove use, conduct repeated personal exposure assessments of household air pollution, and collect dried blood spots and urinary samples for biomarker analysis and biospecimen storage. The primary outcomes are low birth weight, severe pneumonia incidence, and stunting of the child, and systolic blood pressure in the older adult woman. Participants in India, Guatemala and Rwanda will be followed until the child is 5 years old to assess the longer-term effects of the intervention.
Key Details
Gender
All
Age Range
18 Years - 79 Years
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Enrollment
3640
Start Date
2017-09-01
Completion Date
2025-06-30
Last Updated
2026-05-11
Healthy Volunteers
No
Conditions
Interventions
Liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) cookstove
The intervention consists of a high-quality locally available liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) stove having at least two burners, a continuous supply of LPG fuel for 18 months, and the promotion of stove use on an exclusive basis for cooking. The intervention will be provided free of charge to all intervention households upon enrollment. On a weekly basis, study staff will examine stove condition, perform any necessary repairs, and measure and record weight of LPG tanks in order to anticipate need for refills.
Locations (4)
Universidad del Valle de Guatemala
Guatemala City, Departamento de Guatemala, Guatemala
Sri Ramachandra Institute of Higher Education and Research
Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
Puno Global Non-Communicable Disease Research Site, School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University
Puno, Peru
Rwanda Research Site, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, University of Liverpool
Kigali, Rwanda