Peer-reviewed article

Indoor Air Pollution and Associated Factors of Acute Respiratory Infections Among Under-Five Children in East Gojjam Zone, Ethiopia: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Getie ET, Mekuria DY, Berehan YB, Cherie KT · 18 Feb 2026

Abstract

Background Indoor air pollution, primarily caused through burning biomass energies in developing countries is a major health crisis. Smoke and pollutants from fuels lead to severe health issues, especially in children, including respiratory infections and premature deaths. Aim The study aimed to investigate the prevalence of ARIs, their association with indoor air pollution, and identify related risk factors among under-five children in East Gojjam Zone, Ethiopia. Methods A cross-sectional study using multistage cluster sampling techniques was applied for sample selection and data were collected using structured questionnaire through face-to-face interview. Binary logistic regression was used to identify factors significantly associated with acute respiratory infections (ARI). Data analysis was executed using R version 4.1.3 software and variables considered significant at 5% significance level. Result The result showed that, the proportion of ARI in under-five children was 32.6%. Maternal age 21-29 (AOR: 2.035; 95%CI: 1.224-3.384), 30-39 (AOR: 1.797; 95%CI: 1.093-2.955); charcoal used in the house for cooking (AOR: 0.013; 95%CI: 0.001-0.201) and Electricity used in the house for cooking (AOR: 0.069; 95%CI: 0.012-0.379); underweight (AOR 1.532; 95% CI: 1.168-2.008); stunting (AOR: 0.586; 95% CI: 0.439-0.783), wasting (AOR 1.418; 95%CI: 1.083-1.856) and had diarrhea recently (AOR 1.665; 95% CI: 1.287-2.155) were the significant risk factors associated with symptoms of under-five children's ARI in East Gojjam, Ethiopia. Conclusion ARI in under-five children were common in East Gojjam Zone, Ethiopia. Maternal age, wasting, stunting, underweight, birth order, fuel type used for cooking and having diarrhea were the significant risk factors determining the symptoms of ARI among children in the area. Thus, policymakers and local governments should work on improving cooking services in the house to protect children from ARI and focus on mitigating the risk of ARI by intervening on the socio-environmental factors that influence child health in the region.