Health effects of cooking fuel transition: A dynamic perspective

This study aims at comprehensively assessing the health effects of various cooking fuel transitions in China's rural areas and providing insights for policymakers to implement a specific transition scheme of cooking fuels. Based on a logit model, the relationship between cooking fuel transition and residential health is examined, and the health effects of fuel transition varying with patterns and intervals are compared. Furthermore, a heterogeneity analysis is conducted to uncover how family characteristics affect the health effects of the energy transition. According to the empirical results, the cooking fuel transition towards modern clean energy decreases the probability of health deterioration by 3.8%. Specifically, the fuel transition turning to gas exhibits greater health effects than turning to electricity. By comparing the two, four, and six-year-gap transitions, this study also confirms a fading health effect with a prolonged transition interval, justifying the time lag of health effects brought by fuel transition and irreversibility of health damage caused by solid fuel consumption. Moreover, households in the low-to-middle-income bracket and small family size may see more evident health improvement after the cooking fuel transition, suggesting such households deserve more policy attention to maximize the health benefits.