Primary Cooking Research Articles

Optimizing Biomass Briquette Drying: A Computational Fluid Dynamics Approach with a Case Study in Mozambique

Biomass fuels remain the primary cooking energy source in many developing regions, contributing to deforestation and greenhouse gas emissions. Briquettes made from waste biomass are a sustainable alternative; however, their production is hindered by inefficient drying methods, such as open sun drying, which can take 5 to 7 days. This study evaluates the thermal and airflow performance of a solar tunnel dryer (STD) designed to accelerate drying times for charcoal briquettes under Mozambique's climatic conditions. Using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations, temperature and airflow distributions were analyzed to optimize dryer performance. Moisture and temperature profiles of hexagonal briquettes with inner holes indicated effective drying, achieving uniform moisture reduction to 10% from an initial 50%. Drying time was projected based on simulated airflow and temperature conditions, showing a significant reduction compared to traditional methods. The STD, operating with air temperatures of 36.5°C to 65°C and velocities up to 33.5 m/s at a mass flow rate of 1.36 kg/s, demonstrated its potential to enhance briquette production efficiency while maintaining environmental sustainability. The findings underscore the viability of solar drying technology for biomass fuel processing.

Long-term viability of biochar-producing gasifier stoves for energy and agricultural solutions in rural Kenya

This report examines the long-term usage and satisfaction levels of a biochar-producing gasifier stove among rural households in Kenya. The primary objective was to investigate the factors that influence stove satisfaction and dissatisfaction among participants, with the aim of assessing the gasifier stove's viability as an alternative for rural households. Data for this study was collected from representatives from 30 households through survey-based interviews covering cooking practices, fuel collection, and user experiences with the gasifier stove six years after receiving it. The findings indicate that households typically use multiple stoves. Almost all participants used the three stone stove on a daily basis, while the gasifier stove had a lower use frequency. Although households acknowledged the benefits of the gasifier stove, they expressed difficulties in relying on it as their primary cooking appliance due to its lack of convenience. The main contributing factors were the additional workload required for fuel preparation and the extended cooking time. Participants prepared various dishes using the gasifier stove, and the char produced by the stove was utilized for cooking, farming, and other purposes. The differences between users and non-users in terms of perception of stove benefits were small, though users appreciated the biochar production more than non-users. The study offers insights into the long-term usage of the gasifier stove and its dual potential as a clean cooking solution, and a biochar-producing technology, for rural households across the world.

Transition of cooking fuels and obesity risk in Chinese adults

BackgroundSince 1990 s, China has witnessed a widespread transition to clean cooking fuels, presenting an opportunity to investigate whether household fuel transition could mitigate obesity risk and reconcile inconsistencies in the literature regarding the association between cooking fuels and obesity. MethodsThe China Health and Nutrition Survey (CHNS) is a prospective cohort study covering 12 provinces of China (1989–2015). Participants were classified into persistent cleaner fuel users, fuel transitioners, and persistent polluting fuel users according to self-reported primary cooking fuels. Obesity and central obesity were defined as BMI ≥ 28.0 kg/m2 and waist circumference ≥ 90 cm in men and ≥ 85 cm in women according to Chinese criteria. FindingsAmong 13,032 participants, 3657 (28.06 %) were persistent cleaner fuel users; 5264 (40.39 %) transitioned from using polluting fuels to cleaner fuels after the baseline survey; and 4111 (31.55 %) were persistent polluting fuel users. During the period of follow-up of 9.0 ± 6.8 years, 1248 (9.58 %) participants were classified into the obesity category, and 4703 (36.09 %) into the central obesity category. Persistent polluting fuel users had a significantly higher risk of developing obesity (hazard ratio [HR]: 1.45, 95 %CI: 1.22–1.72) and central obesity (HR: 1.32, 95 %CI: 1.21–1.44), compared to persistent cleaner fuel users. Persistent polluting fuel use was positively associated with developing obesity in women (HR: 1.64, 95 %CI: 1.30–2.06), but not in men. Subgroup analyses showed higher HR of persistent polluting fuel use among individuals aged 18–44 years (HR: 2.04, 95 %CI: 1.62–2.56). In contrast, the transitioners did not exhibit a significantly different risk of developing obesity (HR: 0.94, 95 %CI: 0.80–1.10) compared to persistent cleaner fuel users, which was consistent across different sex, age and urbanicity. Similar trends were observed for developing central obesity. InterpretationPersistent polluting fuel use increased obesity risk while the obesity risk of the transition to cleaner fuels was similar to persistent use of cleaner fuels. The finding underscores the significance of advocating for the adoption of cleaner fuels as a strategy to mitigate the disease burden associated with obesity.

Assessment of a clean cooking fuel distribution scheme in rural households of India – “Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY)”

This study assessed the health benefits and change in the quality of life of beneficiaries of the flagship scheme of the government of India for clean cooking fuel, known as Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY). A large-scale survey consisting of 69 questions was carried out in six states of India. Indoor PM2.5 concentrations were also monitored using low-cost sensor devices. Of 2366 surveyed households, >40 % of the LPG users have reported significant (p < 0.05) improvement in the general health of the primary cooking person. Around 55 % of the surveyed LPG users have reported fewer episodes of respiratory illnesses in themselves and their family members post-LPG (PMUY) connections. The respondents from Rajasthan, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh show a strong signal for improvement in their overall health using LPG. The study also quantified the challenges encountered in continuing LPG refilling. Over 38 % of the LPG users had refilled their cylinders only 0–2 times in the preceding six months. Around 47 % of LPG users have reported refilling cost as a limiting factor for cylinder refilling. The high PMUY connection villages' indoor environments have 10 to 20 % less average concentration of PM2.5 than the low connection villages. The study findings will help the government better implement and assess the expected PMUY paybacks regarding beneficiaries' health and quality of life.

Burden of headaches, eye irritation and respiratory symptoms among females stacking LPG with polluting cooking fuels: Modelling from peri-urban Cameroon, Ghana & Kenya

IntroductionLiquefied petroleum gas (LPG) is a clean cooking fuel that emits less household air pollution (HAP) than polluting cooking fuels (e.g. charcoal, wood). While switching from polluting fuels to LPG can reduce HAP and improve health, the impact of ‘stacking’ (concurrent use of polluting fuels and LPG) on adverse health symptoms (e.g. headaches, eye irritation, cough) among female cooks is uncertain. MethodsSurvey data from the CLEAN-Air(Africa) study was collected on cooking patterns and health symptoms over the last 12 months (cough, wheezing, chest tightness, shortness of breath, eye irritation, headaches) from approximately 400 female primary cooks in each of three peri‑urban communities in sub-Saharan Africa: Mbalmayo, Cameroon; Obuasi, Ghana; and Eldoret, Kenya. Random effects Poisson regression, adjusted for socioeconomic and health-related covariates, assessed the relationship between primary and secondary cooking fuel type and self-reported health symptoms. ResultsAmong 1,147 participants, 10 % (n = 118) exclusively cooked with LPG, 45 % (n = 509) stacked LPG and polluting fuels and 45 % (n = 520) exclusively cooked with polluting fuels. Female cooks stacking LPG and polluting fuels had significantly higher odds of shortness of breath (OR 2.16, 95 %CI:1.04–4.48) compared with those exclusively using LPG. In two communities, headache prevalence was 30 % higher among women stacking LPG with polluting fuels (Mbalmayo:82 %; Eldoret:65 %) compared with those exclusively using LPG (Mbalmayo:53 %; Eldoret:33 %). Women stacking LPG and polluting fuels (OR 2.45, 95 %CI:1.29–4.67) had significantly higher odds of eye irritation than women cooking exclusively with LPG. Second-hand smoke exposure was significantly associated with higher odds of chest tightness (OR 1.92, 95 % CI:1.19–3.11), wheezing (OR 1.76, 95 % CI:1.06–2.91) and cough (OR 1.78, 95 %CI:1.13–2.80). ConclusionsIn peri‑urban sub-Saharan Africa, women exclusively cooking with LPG had lower odds of several health symptoms than those stacking LPG and polluting fuels. Promoting a complete transition to LPG in these communities may likely generate short-term health benefits for primary cooks.

Tracking the progress towards adopting LPG as a clean cooking fuel in Rwanda: User's perspective

Many households in Rwanda rely on firewood and charcoal for cooking with inefficient-burning stoves. To mitigate the issue of cooking with traditional fuels, the government of Rwanda has promoted the use of alternative energy such as liquefied petroleum gas (LPG).This study aims to assess the determinants behind the transition from traditional biomass to clean cooking technology in Rwanda and analyzes the consumers' preferences in choosing cooking fuels. A self-administered questionnaire was employed to collect data to people living in urban areas in Rwanda through simple random sampling method. A total of 460 valid responses were then collected, which were subsequently analyzed using statistical analysis with the help of Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) and Excel.The results showed a progress in adopting LPG fuel for households' cooking, despite biomass fuel still accounting a high rate of household's users. The results also revealed that fuels stacking is a common practice among households where half of the respondents cook with LPG as a primary cooking fuel, with predominance of charcoal as the secondary cooking fuel choice. Meanwhile, the study also identified high cost of stoves and fuels as well as safety risks as major barriers hindering the choice of LPG as primary cooking fuel and finally provided some policy recommendations to increase the adoption of LPG.This study fills the gap in literature and may assist in policy formulation to accelerate the uptake of LPG as a primary cooking fuel in Rwanda.

Charcoal briquetting: Alternative energy sources and waste management solution for sustainable cities in Tanzania

&lt;p&gt;This paper presents a report as part of a comprehensive study on the utilization of some forms of solid waste (SW) to make charcoal briquettes (CB) as an alternative fuel source in communities that are reliant upon traditional charcoal (TC) and wood as the primary cooking fuels. The study coincides with the Tanzanian government’s efforts to diminish reliance on wood and charcoal as a primary fuel source, particularly for large-scale consumers. Nevertheless, the government restriction on TC usage comes with little or no presentation of alternative sources that are both eco-friendly and economically sustainable. Introducing the mechanism that meets both environmental and economic criteria, the study employs a cross-sectional approach to collect the required data and uses experimental methods to evaluate the performance of the produced CB. Such tests focused on cooking duration, burning rate (BR), specific fuel consumption (SFC), and the general efficiency expressed by the percentage of heat utilized (PHU). In most cases, CB performs by far or less well than TC. Such results make the study important as it develops clean cooking technologies to solve the existing fuel crisis and improve health and environmental conditions from SW pollution while reducing deforestation, subsequent desertification, and climate change for sustainable environmental conservation.&lt;/p&gt;

Charcoal briquetting: Alternative energy sources and waste management solution for sustainable cities in Tanzania

&lt;p&gt;This paper presents a report as part of the comprehensive study on the utilization of some forms of solid waste (SW) to make charcoal briquettes (CB) as an alternative fuel source in communities that are reliant upon traditional charcoal (TC) and wood as the primary cooking fuels. The study coincides with the Tanzanian government’s efforts to diminish reliance on wood and charcoal as a primary fuel source, particularly for large-scale consumers. Nevertheless, the government restriction on TC usage comes with little or no presentation of alternative sources that are both eco-friendly and economically sustainable. Introducing the mechanism that meets both environmental and economic criteria, the study employs a cross-sectional approach to collect the required data and uses experimental methods to evaluate the performance of the produced CB. Such tests focused on cooking duration, burning rate (BR), specific fuel consumption (SFC), and the general efficiency expressed by the percentage of heat utilized (PHU). In most cases, CB performs by far or less well than TC. Such results make the study important as it develops clean cooking technologies to solve the existing fuel crisis and improve health and environmental conditions from SW pollution while reducing deforestation, subsequent desertification, and climate change for sustainable environmental conservation.&lt;/p&gt;

Rate and Change in Household Solid Fuels Usage Among Residents Aged 40 and Older - China, from 2014-2015 to 2019-2020.

Solid fuel combustion is a significant source of household air pollution and an important risk factor for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). This study presents the rates and change in the use of solid fuels for cooking and heating in China. Based on data from the Chinese Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Surveillance, the research estimated the rates and change of solid fuels usage for cooking and heating from 2014-2015 to 2019-2020 and the rate of primary cooking solid fuels usage in 2019-2020, and analyzed the association between solid fuels usage and COPD. The rates of solid fuels usage for cooking and heating significantly decreased, dropping from 45.3% to 28.0% and from 33.5% to 23.2%, respectively. Usage rates were higher among rural residents, with 47.2% using it for cooking and 37.7% for heating in 2019-2020. The usage of solid fuels for cooking is associated with increased risk of COPD. Among rural residents, combined usage of biomass and coal for cooking (OR=1.29, 95% CI: 1.12, 1.48) and using coal as primary fuel for cooking (OR=1.18, 95% CI: 1.00, 1.38) are associated with higher risk of COPD. The usage of biomass for cooking is associated with an increased risk of COPD in urban residents (OR=1.17, 95% CI: 1.03, 1.32). The study demonstrates a significant decline in the use of household solid fuels. Nevertheless, high utilization rates persist among individuals in rural settings and those from lower socioeconomic backgrounds. It is of great public health importance to propose targeted fuel substitution measures for various solid fuels in different regions to reduce the risk of COPD.

Climate Change Adaptation Strategies of the Communities in Bagmati Province, Nepal

The vulnerability to climate change provides critical insights within academic discourse. This study examined climate change adaptation strategies in Bagmati Province, focusing on the characteristics of respondents and their access to socio-economic services, community resources such as land, water, forests, and energy sources, and the impacts of climate change on livelihoods. A quantitative approach and cross-sectional survey design were employed to collect data from 204 households in the villages of Syaphrubeshi, Dobhan, Langtang, and Mundu (Langtang Rural Municipality) and Krishnanagar, Kharikuna, Basantpur, and Inarbaruwa (Madi Municipality). The main ethnic groups in Langtang are the Tamang, Sherpa, and Gurung, while Brahmin and Tharu dominate in Madi. Agriculture, remittances, business, and tourism were identified as key income sources, with many households receiving remittances in the past year. While most households in Rasuwa have piped drinking water, residents in Chitwan primarily use tube wells. LP gas, firewood, and dung ranked as the primary cooking fuels. Challenges such as road connectivity, market access, education, health services, and agricultural support were more pronounced in Langtang than in Madi, with most households walking over 1 km for these services. Water resources are increasing in the Inner Tarai due to tube wells but decreasing in mountain regions, where forest resources are also in decline. The study's community resource index, climate change vulnerability index, and adaptation index varied according to settlement types, with findings grounded in both empirical and theoretical evidence. These results offer valuable insights for policymakers and stakeholders at various levels.

Household polluting cooking fuels and intrinsic capacity among older population: A harmonized nationwide analysis in India and China

BackgroundsHousehold polluting cooking fuels, as an important changeable behavior, are related to various detrimental health effects among the elderly. There is limited research on the association between polluting cooking fuel use and intrinsic capacity (IC) as an indicator of healthy aging. This study aimed to evaluate the above-mentioned association in India and China, where polluting cooking fuel use is common. MethodsWe enrolled 33,803 participants aged ≥60 years from two nationally representative studies: the Longitudinal Aging Study in India and the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study. Polluting cooking fuel use was defined as a self-report of using wood, coal, kerosene, crop residue, or dung. IC was measured by five aspects, including locomotion, cognition, vitality, sensory, and psychological capacity. The random-effects mixed linear regression and logistic regression with population weighting were performed. Multivariable-adjusted model and propensity score were used to adjust for potential confounders. ResultsA total of 47.54 % and 59.32 % of elderly adults reported primary cooking using polluting fuels in India and China, respectively. Using polluting cooking fuels was consistently associated with IC decline; particularly, cognitive capacity was the most susceptible domain. In India, participants using polluting fuels had a 1.062 (95 % confidence interval [CI]: 1.047–1.078) times risk for IC deficits, whereas more prominent results were observed in China (odds ratio [OR]: 2.040, 95 % CI: 1.642–2.533). Such harmful effects might be alleviated by transferring from polluting to clean fuels. Additionally, the duration of polluting fuel use was also positively associated with IC deficits. ConclusionThis study provided substantial public implications on healthy aging for the elderly population at a global scale, strengthening the importance of health education and policy efforts to accelerate the transition from polluting to clean fuels.

Financial inclusion's impact on energy poverty: Evidence from Indonesia

This study tests the association between financial inclusion and energy poverty in Indonesia. It adopts multi-dimensional energy poverty and financial inclusion measures employing the 2018 Statistics Indonesia data. The energy poverty measures cover six indicators, i.e., the primary cooking fuel, indoor air pollution, lighting, ownership of household appliances, and supporting essential services such as education, entertainment, and communication. On the other hand, the financial inclusion variable involves household access to banks, credit, and insurance. In testing the financial inclusion-energy poverty association, the present study performs the Two-Stage Least Square (2SLS) method, involving household distance to the nearest financial facilities as an instrument variable (IV) to overcome the potential endogeneity problem from the reverse causality between the financial inclusion and energy poverty. This analysis reports a robust negative and significant association between financial inclusion and energy poverty, bringing potential critical notes for Indonesia's policy formulation against energy poverty.

The longitudinal association between indoor air pollution and sarcopenia in China: the mediating role of depression.

Several studies showed that indoor air pollution may pose significant risks to public health, causing illnesses such as pulmonary and cardiovascular disorders. It is known very little of the association between air pollution and sarcopenia in older Chinese adults. We conducted a cohort study to examine the detrimental health effects of indoor solid fuel use for heating and cooking on sarcopenia and further explore the mediating role of depression and C-reaction protein (CRP). The sample of the study consists of 2088 participants from the CHARLS 2011-2015. Sarcopenia status was assessed according to the AWGS 2019 criteria. Participants were asked specific questions about the source of their primary heating and cooking fuels, which served as the basis for defining solid fuel use. Multivariate logistic regressions were constructed to explore the relationship between indoor solid fuel use and sarcopenia or possible sarcopenia. Serial mediation analyses were applied to explore the potential mediating role of depression and CRP in the relationship. Among all participants, 224 and 61 had possible sarcopenia or sarcopenia. Compared to individuals who used clean fuel for heating and cooking, participants who utilized indoor solid fuel for heating exhibited a higher risk of possible sarcopenia or sarcopenia, with OR (and 95% CI) of 1.48 (1.04, 2.11) and 8.42 (2.01, 35.32). The risk of possible sarcopenia demonstrates a gradual increase in correlation with the duration of solid fuel usage for heating (P for trend <0.01). Approximately 16.27% of the relationship between indoor solid fuel use and possible sarcopenia is mediated by depression. Our stratified analysis indicates that participants residing in a city/town are associated with higher odds of possible sarcopenia. Additionally, our sensitivity analysis demonstrates that our estimates are generally robust and consistent. Indoor heating using solid fuels is associated with a higher risk of sarcopenia, while prolonged exposure to household air pollution is found to be positively correlated with this increased risk. Furthermore, depression plays a mediating role in this relationship.

Clean energy use and subjective and objective health outcomes in rural China

This study analyses the impact of clean energy use on rural residents' subjective health outcomes (self-reported health status, health change, and discomfort) and objective health outcomes (bronchitis, asthma, medical expenditure, and fitness expenditure). Using an inverse probability-weighted regression adjustment estimator and the 2018 China Family Panel Studies data, we address the selection bias associated with clean energy use and estimate the treatment effects. The empirical results show that farmers using clean energy (liquid gas, natural gas, methane, solar energy, or electricity) as the primary cooking fuel report improved health, a lower probability of physical discomfort, and higher fitness expenditures than non-users. Clean energy use does not significantly affect self-reported health, the probability of having bronchitis and asthma, or medical expenditures. The health effects of clean energy use on men differ from those on women; they also vary across different economic strata. We also find that farmers’ decisions to use clean energy are positively associated with their educational level, household income, whether they rent farmland, and their happiness levels but are negatively related to their age, family size, whether they own real estate, and the ratio of elders in their household.

Socio-economic factors and clean cooking fuel consumption in India: A household level study

The present paper investigates the clean cooking fuel transition in India and the role of socio-economic factors, in determining the primary cooking fuel choices among Indian households during the last seven years. Our empirical finding suggests that there has been a sharp increase in clean cooking fuel consumption from 2015–16 to 2019–21 across the socio-economic groups, castes, religions and rural-urban areas. Our logit regression estimates based on NFHS fourth and fifth-round data on a sample of 664,543 and 685,337 households suggest that socioeconomic status is imperative in the clean cooking fuel consumption process. We further demonstrate that, as the household's size and age increase, they prefer less clean cooking fuels; however, households living in urban areas, especially female-headed, are more likely to use clean cooking fuels than their counterparts. Our finding also indicates that lower caste households are less likely to use clean cooking fuel than their upper caste counterparts, even though there has been a sharp improvement for the SC caste from 2015–16 to 2019–21. A comparatively contrasting result for religion suggests that Muslims and Christians are more likely to use clean cooking fuels than Hindus. Similarly, households with higher educational attainment, better wealth status, and female financial decision-makers with the availability of piped water sources are more likely to use clean cooking fuels. Further, to understand the effectiveness of PMUY policies on overall LPG use, a Difference In Difference (DID) technique has been applied, and the result indicates a positive impact of PMUY on the overall use of clean cooking fuel for the BPL households.

Lifestyle changes during the economic crisis: a Sri Lankans survey

Abstract Aim The economic crisis in Sri Lanka has caused millions of people to descend into poverty, compromising their rights to health, education and standard of living. This study aimed to examine how the economic crisis has affected Sri Lankans’ lifestyles. Subject and methods An online cross-sectional survey was conducted in July 2022, using an e-questionnaire based on Google Forms. The questionnaire assessed respondents’ socio-demographics and lifestyle-related behaviours before and during the economic crisis. Descriptive statistics and multivariable logistic regression analysis were used. Results A total of 1214 respondents, aged ≥ 18 years were included in this survey. During the crisis, there was a nearly 80% and 60% decline in alcohol consumption and smoking, respectively. Although many respondents (57.6%) used private vehicles as their primary mode of transportation before the crisis, this has decreased significantly (18.2%) during the crisis. Furthermore, 65.3% reported that their walking time has increased during this time. Respondents who lived in Colombo were significantly more likely to report increased walking time compared to people from other districts (OR 1.540; 95% CI, 1.081–2.193; P = 0.017). Also, those with the lowest monthly incomes reported a twofold increase in walking time during the crisis as those with the highest monthly incomes (OR = 2.224, 95% CI = 1.329–3.723, P = 0.002). Cooking methods used before and after the economic crisis differ significantly, with many respondents relying on gas (pre 92.8%; post 15.5%) as their primary cooking fuel before the crisis and now moving to firewood (pre 3.7%; post 46.5%). More than two-thirds (75.2%) of respondents were thinking of migrating to another country alone or with their families because of the country’s current situation. Conclusion The everyday activities of Sri Lankans have been significantly affected by the country’s economic crisis.

What are the drivers of sustainable energy transition? Insights from an empirical analysis of household preferences for electric induction cooking in Nepal

Electricity as a clean cooking fuel is economically and environmentally efficient compared to other cooking fuels, and induction stoves are among the most efficient that could contribute to the sustainable energy transition. Nepal is rich in water resources, having resources four times higher than the global average. With increasing hydroelectricity generation, promoting induction stoves for cooking is a viable way to reduce the use of traditional fuels and Liquified Petroleum Gas imported from other countries. This study aims to identify the underlying product-specific factors influencing households’ preference for electric cooking using induction stoves and assess the impact of awareness about the benefits of induction stoves on choice probability. We used a randomized conjoint experiment along with a randomized controlled trial collecting primary data of 9500 choice responses from 950 households in the Nuwakot district of central Nepal to achieve the objective. Among the six product-specific factors considered in the conjoint analysis, monthly expenses and supply of electricity were found to be significant determinants for choosing electric induction cooking, while cooking time, sickness rate, and environmental conditions also had a certain degree of influence, whereas the effect of installation cost was found to be statistically insignificant. The lower bound of households' willingness to pay for electric induction cooking was found to be as high as 4% of their monthly income. The information treatment increases the uptake rate of the induction package by 5% and willingness to pay by 9.58%. This indicates the role of awareness and behavior change in driving a sustainable energy transition, highlighting the need for policymakers to promote cleaner cooking technologies through the effective dissemination of information The results of this study will enable policymakers to make informed decisions to promote the use of induction stoves as the primary cooking fuel, thereby contributing to efforts toward climate change mitigation.

Household cooking fuel choice and associated factors in a rural and peri-urban community in Western Kenya

Polluting fuels such as biomass and kerosene are used for cooking by approximately 85% of the population in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) despite the well-known associated negative health effects. Many governments across SSA are aiming to scale up the use of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), a cleaner-burning fuel in terms of black carbon and fine particulate matter emissions, to promote public health and protect the environment by reducing deforestation. In Kenya, the government has been promoting rapid scale-up of LPG as a household fuel by zero rating it. A census survey was administered to over 2000 households in a peri-urban and rural sub-county of Uasin Gishu County to determine cooking characteristics and factors associated with the primary cooking fuel (biomass versus LPG). We found that the majority 72% ( n = 1619) of the households mainly use biomass as a primary fuel (86% wood, 12% charcoal, 1.5% wood chips, and 1% kerosene) while about 28% ( n = 629) use clean fuels (86.8% LPG, 12.9% biogas/solar, and 0.3% electricity). Peri-urban residents had up to 2.5 times increased odds of using LPG compared to those in the rural sub-county. Supply factors such as easy access to refills affect the number of days the LPG is used per week. Urbanization at sub-county leads to increases in use of LPG for cooking, irrespective of household-level SES. The Government is encouraged to enact policies that would increase the availability of LPG refills to rural communities hence reducing the time and transportation costs that are likely to affect access with consequent low usage.

Household Polluting Fuel Use and Frailty among Older Adults in Rural China: The Moderating Role of Healthy Lifestyle Behaviors.

This study worked to investigate the effect of household polluting fuel use (HPFU), as an indicator of household air pollution exposure, on frailty among older adults in rural China. Additionally, this study aimed to examine the moderating effect of healthy lifestyle behaviors on the aforementioned association. This study employed cross-sectional data from the 2018 Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey, which conducted nationally representative sampling of older adults from 23 provinces in mainland China. The frailty index was calculated using 38 baseline variables that assessed health deficits through questionnaire surveys and health examinations. A total of 4535 older adults aged 65 years and above were included in our study, among whom, 1780 reported using polluting fuels as their primary household cooking fuel. The results of regression analyses and multiple robustness checks indicated a significant increase in the frailty index due to HPFU. This environmental health threat was more profound among women, illiterate individuals, and low-economic-status groups. Moreover, healthy dietary and social activities had significant moderating effects on the association between HPFU and frailty. HPFU can be regarded as a risk factor for frailty among older adults in rural China, with its effects exhibiting socio-economic disparities. The adoption of healthy lifestyle behaviors can alleviate the frailty associated with HPFU. Our findings underscore the significance of using clean fuels and improving household air quality for healthy aging in rural China.

Association between solid fuel use and the risk of hypertension in China.

To assess the association between solid fuel use for cooking or heating and the risk of hypertension among individuals over 45 years of age. Baseline questionnaires were used to collect self-reported primary cooking and heating fuel usage. Outcomes were defined as the time of first diagnosis of hypertension. Data were analyzed using Cox proportional hazards models. Solid fuel use for cooking was associated with a higher risk of hypertension. The association between solid fuel for cooking and hypertension remained significant among residents in north China, individuals aged 45-65 years, urban residents, and non-smokers. Solid fuel for heating was associated with a higher risk of hypertension only in South China. Solid fuel use may result in an increased risk of hypertension. Our findings further emphasize the health hazards of solid fuel for cooking and heating.