The association of asthma and air pollution: Evidence from India
Damini Singh1, Indrani Gupta2, Arjun Roy2
1Centre for Economic Studies and Planning, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Mehrauli Road, JNU Ring Road, New Delhi 110067, Delhi, India.
Abstract:
In the last two decades, air pollution has increased throughout India resulting in the deterioration of air quality. This paper estimates the prevalence of self-reported asthma in women aged 15-49 years and examines the link between outdoor air pollution and disease prevalence in India by combining satellite data on particulate matter (PM2.5) and the National Family Health Survey (NFHS-4), 2015-16. The results indicate that both indoor pollution as well as outdoor air pollution are important risk factors for asthma in women as both independently increase the probability of asthma among this group. Strategies around the prevention of asthma need to recognize the role of both indoor as well as outdoor air pollution. The other significant risk factors for asthma are smoking, second-hand smoking, type of diet and obesity.
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