Health Impacts Assessment of Firewood and LPG Users Among Households in the Highlands of Mueang Chiang Mai District, Chiang Mai Province

Abstract

A cross-sectional study attempted to assess the health effects of firewood and LPG use among households. Women between the ages of 18 and 60 were the primary food producers. Mueang Chiang Mai District, Chiang Mai Province; Doi Pui Village, Suthep Subdistrict; and Khun Chang Khian Village, Chang Phueak Subdistrict. A total of 141 people were selected for a quota sampling, divided into a group of 66 people using firewood and 75 people using LPG. The research tools consisted of a questionnaire concerning personal characteristics, perceived risk, and lung function test using spirometry. Collected the data between January and February 2024. Analyses of the data relied on descriptive and inferential statistics, including Chi-square and the independence T-test. The research found that the perceived risk of firewood and LPG users Among households, there were mostly moderate and not significantly different levels of perceived risk. And the lung function test of firewood and LPG users among households varied statistically significantly at 0.041. The study indicates that firewood use in households causes pulmonary dysfunction, urging the development of clean energy policies and monitoring of household fuel usage for public health.