By Lilian Ibomor
Stakeholders in maternal health and child development have urged urgent action to reduce air pollution, citing its critical impact on women’s and children’s health.
This call was made at a programme organised by the Centre for Population and Reproductive Health (CPRH) and the Healthy Life for All Foundation (HLF), in partnership with the University of Chicago, held at the Secretariat, Ibadan, Oyo State.
The meeting focused on the theme: “Outcome of the Research on the Exposure of Household Air Pollution on Maternal and Child Health.”
In a keynote address entitled “Charity Begins at Home: The Need for Clean Cooking and a Healthier Indoor Environment,” Professor Sola Olapade of the Pritzker School of Medicine, University of Chicago, highlighted the dangers of crude cooking methods, such as firewood, kerosene stoves, and charcoal.
He stressed that women and children are the most vulnerable, as prolonged exposure can lead to asthma, hypertension, and even death.
Professor Olapade emphasized:“There is pollution of air when you use non-clean sources of power to cook.”
A Senior Lecturer at the College of Medicine, University of Ibadan, Dr Yetunde Adeniyi, and Professor Lolade Wright of Lagos State University College of Medicine, shared results from developmental assessments of children exposed to crude cooking methods.
Their studies showed that children in homes using clean ethanol stoves displayed better cognitive and physical development compared to those exposed to traditional cooking fuels.
Earlier, a Professor of Obstetrics and Gyneacology, at the Centre for Reproductive Health, University of Ibadan, Oladosu Ojengbede, urged attendees to propagate the outcomes of the stakeholders’ meeting to drive tangible changes in public health practices.
Representatives of the Oyo State government, including the Commissioners for Health, Environment, and Women Affairs and Social Inclusion, as well as the Executive Secretary of the Oyo State Primary Health Care Board, and representatives of the Olubadan of Ibadan Land, pledged their full support for initiatives aimed at creating a clean cooking environment to improve societal health outcomes.
Mothers who had participated in ethanol stove interventions reported noticeable improvements in their children’s memory, responsiveness, and overall health after adopting the cleaner cooking method. They contrasted this with children raised with traditional cooking fuels, who showed delayed developmental milestones.
The programme concluded with a unified pledge from government representatives, community leaders, and stakeholders to promote clean cooking practices, reduce household air pollution, and protect the health and development of mothers and children in Oyo State.
Edited by Maxwell Oyekunle
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