Associations between cooking fuel use, its transitions, and worsening sensory impairments among Chinese middle-aged and older adults: a cohort study

This study aimed to explore the associations between household air pollution (HAP), measured by cooking fuel use, sensory impairments (SI), and their transitions in Chinese middle-aged and older adults. Participants were recruited from the 2011 China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS) and were subsequently followed up until 2018. Data on SI were collected by self-reported hearing and vision impairments, which were divided into three categories: non-SI, single SI (hearing or vision impairment), and dual SI (DSI). Cooking fuels, including solid and clean fuels, are proxies for HAP. The transitions of cooking fuels and SI refer to the switching of the fuel type or SI status from baseline to follow-up. Cox proportional hazard regression models were used to explore associations, and hazard ratios (HRs) and 95