Associations between gas stove usage and childhood asthma symptoms, attacks, and ED visits among children in the 2020 Asthma Call-back Survey

Objective To examine whether the use of gas stoves in the home is associated with increased asthma severity among children and adolescents ages 0-17 in the US. Methods Using the 2020 CDC Asthma Call-Back Survey for children, the association between gas stove usage and childhood asthma symptoms, asthma attack or episode, and emergency department visit for asthma was assessed. With a cross-sectional study design, bivariate analyses and multivariable logistic regression were conducted. Survey weights were used in the analyses for US population-based estimates. Results Children who live in a household that uses gas for cooking or has a gas stove had 1.133 (95% CI: 0.48, 2.68)) times the odds of having an asthma attack or episode within the past 12 months, 9.141 (95% CI: 1.99, 42.06) times the odds of having visited the emergency department or urgent care within the past 12 months, and 1.739 (95% CI: 1.02, 2.95) times the odds of recent symptoms of asthma compared to children who live in a household that does not use gas for cooking or does not have a gas stove, controlling for all confounders. There is an association between the usage of gas stoves and asthma symptoms, asthma attacks/episodes, and ED visits among asthmatic children. Reducing the exposure of gas stove usage should be a consideration in regards to existing and future interventions to prevent childhood asthma and reduce exacerbation of underlying childhood asthma.