Biomass Fuel use Prevalent in the Zambian Population: Observations from the Zambia Demographic Health Survey 2018

Abstract

Abstract Background: Biomass fuels are used by half of the world’s population, and are often the only source of domestic energy. Markers of lower socioeconomic status were related to greater use of dirty-burning fuels. This study aimed to measure the prevalence and determinants of biomass fuel use in the Zambian population. Methodology: This cross-sectional study used secondary data from the Zambia Demographic Health Survey 2018. Descriptive statistics of individual characteristics, testing for associations using Pearson’s chi-square test, and univariate and multivariate binomial regressions were performed using Stata 13. Results: The prevalence of biomass fuel use was 91.7% (11,762), with the most notable usage observed among females (68.2%) residing in rural areas compared to males (63.4%). Factors indicating lower socioeconomic status, such as living in rural areas with a crude prevalence ratio of 1.13 (1.12-1.14) and cooking outdoors at 1.10 (1.09-1.10), were linked to the use of biomass fuels, while higher education served as a protective factor at 0.84 (0.83-0.85). Conclusion: This study showed that rural residence, cooking from outside, and educational attainment could be important determinants of the use of biomass fuels. Education appears to be an effective preventive factor in reducing the likelihood of biomass fuel use.