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Journal of Integrative Agriculture  2024, Vol. 23 Issue (02): 397-413    DOI: 10.1016/j.jia.2023.11.032
Section 1: Nutrition Advanced Online Publication | Current Issue | Archive | Adv Search |

Nutrition impacts of non-solid cooking fuel adoption on under-five children in developing countries

Yalin Tang1, Yuhe Guo2, Gang Xie1, Chengfang Liu1#

1 China Center for Agricultural Policy, School of Advanced Agricultural Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China

2 Agricultural Information Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China

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Abstract  

This paper examines the nutrition impacts of using non-solid cooking fuel on under-five children in developing countries.  We draw on data from more than 1.12 million children in 62 developing countries from the Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS).  Results from both fixed effects (FE) and instrumental variable (IV) estimates show that using non-solid cooking fuel significantly improves the nutrition outcomes of under-five children.  Compared with their peers from households mainly using solid fuel, children from households mainly using non-solid fuel exhibit a lower probability of experiencing stunting (by 5.9 percentage points) and being underweight (by 1.2 percentage points).  Our further investigation provides evidence for several underlying mechanisms, such as improved indoor air quality, induced reduction in children’s respiratory symptoms, benefits on maternal health, and reduction in maternal time spent on fuel collection or cooking.  Heterogenous analyses suggest that the nutrition benefits of using non-solid cooking fuel are more prominent among boys, children above three years old, and those from households of lower socioeconomic status, rural areas, and Southeast Asia.

Keywords:  non-solid cooking fuel        nutrition benefits        under-five children        developing countries   
Received: 20 February 2023   Accepted: 15 May 2023
Fund: This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (71861147003 and 71925009).
About author:  Yalin Tang, E-mail: yalintang@pku.edu.cn; #Correspondence Chengfang Liu, E-mail: cfliu.ccap@pku.edu.cn

Cite this article: 

Yalin Tang, Yuhe Guo, Gang Xie, Chengfang Liu. 2024.

Nutrition impacts of non-solid cooking fuel adoption on under-five children in developing countries . Journal of Integrative Agriculture, 23(02): 397-413.

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