Evaluating the relationship between energy poverty and child disability: A multilevel analysis based on low and middle-income countries

Abstract

The existing literature extensively examines the impact of energy poverty on various developmental outcomes, yet there is a dearth of research investigating the empirical relationship between energy poverty and child disability. Therefore, this study aims to examine the association between household energy poverty and disabilities in children aged 2–4 years. The analysis utilizes data from the nationally representative Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys conducted between 2017 and 2019 in 15 developing countries, encompassing three countries from South Asia and twelve countries from Sub-Saharan Africa. To measure the severity of children's disabilities, functional domains, including hearing, seeing, walking, fine motor skills, learning, understanding, speaking, and playing, were considered. Energy poverty was assessed using a multidimensional weighted approach, which accounted for access to household energies such as electricity, clean cooking fuels, television, refrigerators, mobile phones, and more. Multilevel regression models were employed to evaluate the adjusted association between energy poverty and child disability. The findings of this study reveal that children residing in energy-poor households face a higher risk of experiencing disabilities compared to those in energy non-poor households. Furthermore, Sub-Saharan Africa exhibits a greater influence of energy poverty on the development of child disabilities compared to South Asia. Sensitivity analysis was conducted using Lewbel's two-stage least squares (2SLS) regression model to predict the standardized disability score derived from principal component analysis. The results consistently indicate that households with limited access to energy are significantly more vulnerable to severe disabilities among children aged 2–4 years. Therefore, to address this issue and enhance the well-being of children and families, governments and development partners in low- and middle-income countries should prioritize policies and programs targeting energy poverty, such as increasing access to modern energy sources, promoting energy efficiency, and implementing specialized social protection initiatives.