Rural Electrification and Respiratory Health: An Empirical Approach in Peru

Conceptualising the effect of access to electricity on health in low- and middle-income countries: A systematic review

“…Using a randomised controlled trial to evaluate the impact of household electrification on air pollution in El Salvador, Barron and Torero (2017) found that children in households who were given a voucher for discounted grid connection had a lower prevalence of acute respiratory infections than children from control households, potentially due to improved air quality in the home (Barron & Torero, 2017). Accinelli et al (2015) observed similar results in a cross-sectional study in Peru, identifying an inverse association between electricity in the home and self-reported cough among rural households (Accinelli et al, 2015), while Bhargava, Guntupalli, Lokshin, and Howard (2014) reported that using electricity as opposed to traditional fuels for cooking in the home was associated with lower child morbidity due to cough, diarrhea, or fever in India using a case-control design (Bhargava et al, 2014). Interestingly, a handful of the studies also examining the impact of electrification on respiratory health conditions found no evidence of a positive effect.…”

“…In our review, improved air quality as a result of cleaner fuels emerged as one of key ways through which access to electricity could potentially impact health conditions, explored by Accinelli et al (2015), Barron et al (2017), Bhargava et al (2014), Lenz et al (2017), and Bridge et al (2016). Electrification eliminates the need for biofuels such as wood, crop residues, and animal dung, as well as coal and kerosene, which release a number of pollutants into the air, including particulates, carbon monoxide, and hydrocarbons (Bruce, Perez-Padilla, & Albalak, 2000;World Health Organization, 1992).…”

“…These chemicals readily cause a wide array of health problems, such as carbon monoxide poisoning, eye diseases, upper respiratory inflammation, acute respiratory infections, chronic lung diseases, and cancer (Bruce et al, 2000;World Health Organization, 1992). The shift to electricity for cooking and lighting is thus thought to have profound impacts on improving health, particularly for women and children who tend to be exposed for prolonged periods of time (Bruce et al, 2000), something that was proposed in a number of studies included in our review (Accinelli et al, 2015;Barron & Torero, 2017;Bhargava et al, 2014;Bridge et al, 2016;Lenz et al, 2017).…”

“…Recent reports, however, estimate that approximately 1 billion people still live their daily lives without electricity, the majority of whom are concentrated in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia (International Energy Agency, 2017b), while hundreds of millions more have unreliable access. Access to electricity has been correlated with a number of health outcomes, including increased immunisation (Chen, Chindarkar, & Xiao, 2016;Majid, 2013;Patra, 2009Patra, , 2012, improved respiratory health (Accinelli, Lopez, & Aguirre, 2015;Barron & Torero, 2017), and lower infant and maternal mortality (Mbonye et al, 2007;Roychowdhury & Jones, 2014;van de Poel, O'Donnell, & van Doorslaer, 2009;Wang, 2002). Expanding access to electricity may therefore also be an important driver of improved global health outcomes.…”

Effect of energy shortages on institutional delivery in India

“…Energy shortages occur when the demand for electricity exceeds the supply, and have been linked to a number of negative outcomes, included reduced economic development due to financial and productivity losses (1), and poorer health (2,3). Indeed, electricity has been identified as an important driver of human development, and there is evidence to suggest that electrification, defined as connecting a place to a supply of electricity (3), can lead to reduced morbidity (4)(5)(6) and mortality (7)(8)(9), increased care-seeking (10,11), and improved quality of care (9). Unreliable electricity supply on the other hand, which is characterized by the inability of the electric system to supply the energy requirements of all consumers at all times or to withstand disturbances in system components (12,13), can severely impede healthcare access, delivery, and quality, disrupting the use of medical and diagnostic devices, as well as essential communication, transportation, and emergency services (14)(15)(16).…”