Respiratory illness in households using gas and electricity for cooking: II. Symptoms and objective findings

An earlier study examined the incidence of reported respiratory illness in members of households cooking with gas or electricity. The present investigation extends that study in order to confirm and validate the reports of illness, and to determine the frequency distribution of reported symptoms among parents and children in the two settings. One hundred twenty households with school-age children were selected from the gas and electric cohorts. Reports of respiratory illness and symptoms were obtained by telephone interview every 2 weeks for a period of 13 months by a nurse—epidemiologist. Where the onset of respiratory illness occurred within 3 days of the call, a household visit was arranged to examine the person reported ill and to obtain a throat culture. In addition, two sets of “well” controls were examined. The results validate the reporting method and replicate earlier findings of no significant difference in acute respiratory illness incidence between gas- and electric-cooking households.