LAUSR

OBJECTIVE Household air pollution (HAP) is a widespread environmental exposure worldwide. While several cleaner fuel interventions have been implemented to reduce personal exposures to household air pollution, it is unclear if cooking with cleaner fuels also affects the choice of meals and dietary intake. DESIGN Individually randomized, open-label controlled trial of a HAP intervention. We aimed to determine the effect of a HAP intervention on dietary and sodium intake. Intervention participants received liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) stove, continuous fuel delivery, and behavioural messaging during one-year whereas control participants continued with usual cooking practices that involved the use of biomass-burning stoves. Dietary outcomes included energy, energy-adjusted macronutrients, and sodium intake at baseline, six months, and 12 months post-randomization using 24-hour dietary recalls and 24-hour urine. We used t-tests to estimate differences between arms in the post-randomization period. SETTING Rural settings in Puno, Peru. PARTICIPANTS One hundred women aged 25-64 years. RESULTS At baseline, control and intervention participants were similar in age (47.4 vs. 49.5 years) and had similar daily energy (2126 vs. 1983 kcal), carbohydrate (370.8 vs. 373.3 g) and sodium intake (4.9 vs. 4.8 g). One year after randomization, we did not find differences in average energy intake (2221 vs. 2100 kcal; p=0.22) or sodium intake (4.5 vs. 4.6; p=0.79) between control and intervention participants. CONCLUSIONS Our HAP intervention consisting of an LPG stove, continuous fuel distribution and behavioral messaging did not affect dietary and sodium intake in rural Peru.