Objective Assessment of Stove Use with Temperature Sensors in a Multi-Stove Study — Kenya, 2012–2013

Abstract

Listen

Translate article

Background: Household air pollution (HAP) caused by burning biomass fuel for cooking accounts for 500,000 annual pediatric pneumonia deaths in the developing world. The Global Health Alliance aims to reduce HAP and improve health outcomes by installing 100 million improved cookstoves by 2020. However, data on stove preference and stove acceptability are limited. We analyzed data from data-logging temperature sensors to assess improved cookstove use objectively during a multi-stove intervention study. Methods: Up to six different improved cookstoves (Ecochula, Ecozoom, Envirofit, Philips, Prakti, RTI TECA) were installed in a cross-over study during six 2-week periods in 43 households in two rural Kenyan villages; traditional stoves remained available for use. Temperature sensors logged traditional and improved cookstove temperatures and ambient temperature every 10 minutes. Recorded stove temperatures were adjusted for ambient temperature and cooking events were identified using a temperature-change algorithm. Preliminary analyses using ANOVA and chi-squared tests were conducted to compare stove use across improved cookstoves. Results: The 1,247 days with complete data were categorized as: improved cookstove only (24%), traditional stove only (27%), both stoves (42%), and neither stove (7%). Days with any improved stove use (alone or with traditional stove) ranged from 58% to 72% across stove types (P<.05). When improved cookstoves were used, daily improved cookstove cooking events ranged from 1.8 to 2.8 across stove types (P<.0001). Conclusion: Improved stoves were used frequently, but days when only improved stoves were used were not common. This study identified two improved stoves that were used more often, suggesting increased acceptability within study households. Integration of these results with HAP exposure reduction and qualitative data will help determine if one or more improved cookstoves could be used in a longitudinal health study.