RESUMEN
Air pollution is a global environmental and public health challenge. There is limited evidence about the air quality in Rwanda, and the concentrations of particulate matter (PM), namely PM2.5 and PM10 in schools have not been well documented. This study evaluated patterns and disparities in indoor PM levels in selected primary schools in Kigali, Rwanda. The study collected PM2.5 and PM10 concentrations from six classrooms in six selected primary schools during the regular school study period in the dry season. Data were collected using mobile air sensors (purple air/PA-II-SD air quality) and an observation checklist. A Kruskal-Wallis test was performed to assess the difference in PM2.5 and PM10 concentrations between the six schools. The post-hoc Mann-Whitney test was used to compare all group pairs. The results indicated a significant difference in both the indoor PM2.5 concentration (H (5) = 41.01, p < 0.001) and the indoor PM10 concentration (H (5) = 38.5, p < 0.001). The maximum concentration observed was 133.6 µg/m3 for PM2.5 and 158.5 µg/m3 for PM10. Schools in highly exposed areas tended to have higher concentrations of PM than schools in moderately exposed areas. Specifically, the daily average concentration of PM2.5 in schools located in highly exposed areas ranged from 39 µg/m³ to 118 µg/m³, while PM10 levels ranged from 44.0 µg/m³ to 126 µg/m³. In contrast, schools in moderately exposed areas had daily PM2.5 average concentrations ranging from 32.0 µg/m³ to 111.0 µg/m³ and daily PM10 average concentrations ranging from 38.0 µg/m³ to 119 µg/m³. Overall, the recorded values for both PM2.5 and PM10 in all sampled schools were higher than the World Health Organization air quality guidelines. Indoor air quality is poorer in schools situated in highly exposed areas. This study suggests interventions to improve school air quality for the benefit of school communities.
RESUMEN
Stunted linear growth continues to be a public health problem that overwhelms the entire world and, particularly, developing countries. Despite several interventions designed and implemented to reduce stunting, the rate of 33.1% is still high for the proposed target of 19% in 2024. This study investigated the prevalence and associated factors of stunting among children aged 6-23 months from poor households in Rwanda. A cross-sectional study was conducted among 817 mother-child dyads (two individuals from one home) living in low-income families in five districts with a high prevalence of stunting. Descriptive statistics were used to determine the prevalence of stunting. In addition, we used bivariate analysis and a multivariate logistic regression model to measure the strength of the association between childhood stunting and exposure variables. The prevalence of stunting was 34.1%. Children from households without a vegetable garden (AOR = 2.165, p-value < 0.01), children aged 19-23 months (AOR = 4.410, p-value = 0.01), and children aged 13-18 months (AOR = 2.788, p-value = 0.08) showed increased likelihood of stunting. On the other hand, children whose mothers were not exposed to physical violence (AOR = 0.145, p-value < 0.001), those whose fathers were working (AOR = 0.036, p-value = 0.001), those whose parents were both working (AOR = 0.208, p-value = 0.029), and children whose mothers demonstrated good hand washing practice (AOR = 0.181, p-value < 0.001) were less likely to be stunted. Our findings underscore the importance of integrating the promotion of handwashing practices, owning vegetable gardens, and intimate partner violence prevention in the interventions to fight child stunting.