Facilitators and barriers to the implementation of improved solid fuel cookstoves and clean fuels in low-income and middle-income countries: an umbrella review

05 May 2022
Clinical Research Results Abstract Introduction: 2.6 billion people use solid fuels for cooking or heating. Accelerating access to cleaner cooking solutions is critical to reduce the negative effects of solid fuel use. Despite abundant evidence on how to implement cleaner cooking interventions, previous attempts to do so have generally been disappointing. An overview of the available evidence is lacking. Moreover, translation of the evidence to practice is limited. We therefore identified and consolidated the available evidence on factors that influence the implementation of improved solid fuel cookstoves and clean fuels in low-income and middle-income countries, weighed the level of confidence in existing evidence, and developed two practical implementation strategy tools.Methods: A systematic search was conducted in eight databases to identify all systematic and narrative reviews concerning the implementation (acquisition, initial adoption, and/or sustained use) of cleaner cooking interventions. Two authors independently applied validated tools throughout the entire process. The reviews were critically appraised for quality and factors affecting implementation were extracted and coded. The level of confidence in the identified factors was calculated and content analysis was used for meta-synthesis.Results: Of the 9111 papers screened, we identified 31 relevant reviews consisting of 13 systematic and 18 narrative reviews. We found 15 implementation factors supported by the highest level of evidence. Regarding improved solid fuel cookstoves these included ‘cost’, ‘knowledge & beliefs about the innovation’, and ‘compatibility’. For clean fuels these included ‘cost’, ‘knowledge & beliefs about the innovation’, and ‘external policy & incentives’. The factors were synthesised into the Cleaner Cookstove Implementation Tool (CleanCIT) and the Clean Fuel Implementation Tool (CleanFIT). Discussion: These tools can be used to optimise the use of scarce resources, thereby improving health, environmental, climate, and gender equity outcomes. Research Idea Abstract Service Development & Evaluation Abstract Declaration of Interest Declaration of interests: Esther Boudewijns is part-time employed at the Dutch Spark for Clean Cooking Solutions. Other authors declare no competing interests. Funding: This study originated from the FRESH AIR project funded by the European Union Research and Innovation programme Horizon 2020 (no.680997). The funders had no role in study design, data collection, data analysis, data interpretation, or writing of the article.Registration: The study was registered with PROSPERO (CRD42018088687) and a peer-reviewed study protocol is available (https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/10/12/e041821.abstract). References and Clinical Trial Registry Information The paper is currently under review by the Lancet Planetary Health.

TheLancetPlanet published two practical tools to improve the implementation of cleaner cooking solutions!

 

Read more here: https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanplh/article/PIIS2542-5196(22)00094-8/fulltext

Resource information

Respiratory topics
  • Risk factor: indoor air pollution
Type of resource
Abstract
Conference
Malaga 2022
Author(s)
Esther Boudewijns, Maastricht University