User-centered design of an air quality feedback technology to promote adoption of clean cookstoves

Abstract

Background Recent work has examined behavioral reactivity associated with personal awareness of electronic sensors monitoring the use of environmental health products, including cookstoves. These studies suggest that sensors could be used as behavior change tools. Objective We present a human-centered design approach toward the development of a household air quality feedback technology intended to improve consistent and exclusive use of liquid petroleum gas (LPG) stoves provided as part of a health efficacy study. Methods We found through a consultation process that households may be behaviorally triggered by reminders of the health and environmental impacts of cooking practices and may respond to both auditory and visual feedback. Based on these insights, we designed and validated a system linking air particulate monitoring with persistent visual feedback and a dynamic audio alarm. Results Data collected over 14 days in participants households show that the system is able to detect sudden rises in household indoor air pollution and to communicate that information to household members. Significance This device could be used as a tool to raise awareness of air pollution associated in order to stimulate adoption of cleaner cooking technologies.

Drivers of the Adoption and Exclusive Use of Clean Fuel for Cooking in Sub-Saharan Africa: Learnings and Policy Considerations from Cameroon

“…Findings from this study provide important insights for the last of these domains. In accordance with qualitative literature in other LMICs [23,44,45,54,69], we found that whilst the majority of participants reported LPG for cooking was clean (95%) and cooked food quickly (88%), they also perceived it to be both unsafe (64%) and expensive (69%). Familiarity with the fuel lessened these negative perceptions, with households reporting exclusive use of LPG being more likely to express positive views about it (more so than mixed and non-LPG users).…”

“…Of those households reporting use of LPG for cooking (as either a primary or secondary cooking fuel), four-fifths (81%) used it alongside a polluting solid fuel (wood or charcoal). It is well established that this “fuel stacking” is the norm for many households across SSA, Asia and Latin America [ 34 , 35 , 51 , 52 , 53 , 54 ]. The benefits of clean cooking with LPG are clearly reduced with a greater amount of fuel stacking with solid fuels and kerosene.…”

“…A variety of reasons for fuel stacking have been described. These include varying fuel prices and inconsistent supply, perception of fuel "wastage" for foods with a long cooking duration, perceptions of taste and cultural tradition [3,32,48,[54][55][56][57][58]. Addressing these barriers to encourage more exclusive use of LPG for clean cooking is important to maximising the health gains achieved from transitioning away from polluting solid fuels.…”

“…Other studies from a variety of countries and settings have found concerns expressed by households over the safety of LPG as a cooking fuel, including studies from Mozambique, Peru, Cameroon and Nigeria [23,[44][45][46]54,60]. These concerns are typically expressed in the absence of any direct experience of safety issues in relation to the fuel [45,70].…”

“…These concerns are typically expressed in the absence of any direct experience of safety issues in relation to the fuel [45,70]. Concerns expressed include fears of gas leaks, fire and explosions, often based on hearsay rather than personal experience [45,54,70]. In following up with participants from our study through qualitative enquiry, non-LPG users and mixed fuel users reported safety concerns about LPG if they lived in wooden houses (due to the fire risk), or if the quality of LPG equipment (cylinders, valves or stove) was poor [23].…”