Gendered health effects of cooking fuel technologies in southern Ghana

The introduction of clean cooking technologies in many developing countries ensures environmental quality and improved well-being through reduction in indoor air pollution. This study examines the adoption of cooking fuel technologies and its effect on health outcomes using panel data from two districts in the Greater Accra region of Ghana. The inverse probability weighting regression adjustment (IPWRA) approach was used to examine the effect of cooking fuel technologies on health outcomes. The empirical results show that factors such as tenancy, kitchen design, assets, gender, education, access to internet and tarred roads influence the adoption of cooking fuel technologies, including clean cooking fuels. The study finds that clean cooking fuels decrease female illness incidence but not male illness incidence, with large improvement for adults. The findings suggest that policies and programs aimed at promoting clean cooking fuel technologies can significantly improve well-being of females in developing countries.