Affordability, Accessibility, and Awareness in the Adoption of Liquefied Petroleum Gas: A Case-Control Study in Rural India

Praveen Kumar,Robert Ethan Dover,Gautam N Yadama,Romina Garakani,Antonia Díaz-Valdés Iriarte,Ross C Brownson,Amar Dhand,Sophia Hadingham,Rachel G Tabak,Smitha Rao

doi:10.3390/su12114790

Abstract

Interventions in the clean cooking sector have focused on improved biomass stoves in a bid to address household air pollution (HAP) in low- and middle-income countries. These initiatives have not delivered adequate health and environmental benefits owing to the less than optimal performance of improved biomass stoves. There is an urgency to transition communities to cleaner cooking systems such as liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) to reduce the prevalence of HAP. Adoption of LPG also has challenges. This case-control cross-sectional study with 510 households examines how affordability, accessibility, and awareness (3As) are associated with LPG adoption in rural poor households of Andhra Pradesh, a state of India. Using binomial logistic regression analyses, the study examines the association of 3As with LPG adoption, adjusting for demographic predictors. Results show disparities in LPG adoption owing to affordability, accessibility, and awareness. Household income is positively associated with LPG adoption. Easy availability of biomass deters households from adopting LPG. Concerns for LPG safety reduces likelihood of LPG adoption. On the other hand, attending awareness campaigns on clean cooking benefits is strongly associated with LPG adoption. Awareness drives, primarily targeted marketing campaigns, could help expand LPG coverage among poorer households. This paper offers insights into the determinants of clean fuel adoption with implications for resource-poor settings across the world to advance energy justice and address energy poverty.

Highlights

Energy poverty is a crucial problem especially in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) such as India, with rural poor households impacted by this challenge [1]
Akaike’s Information Criteria (AIC) and Bayesian Information Criteria (BIC) values help in the selection of the most fitted model
Model 2 tests the contribution of the affordability, accessibility, and awareness to the variation in liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) adoption, after adjusting for the demographic predictors and clustering at the habitation level

Summary

Introduction

Energy poverty is a crucial problem especially in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) such as India, with rural poor households impacted by this challenge [1]. Adoption and sustained use of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) are central to addressing HAP in rural poor communities of India and key to achieving energy justice and advancing the Sustainable Development Goals [2,3,4]. Evidence shows that high cost of LPG connection and refills, sometimes beyond communities’ affordability, prevents adoption and sustained use. Adoption and sustained use of LPG are crucial for securing health and environmental benefits of cleaner cooking especially in resource-poor settings [9,10,11]. On the other hand, routinely use both LPG and traditional stoves [6]

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion