Thinking of the children: Energy poverty and acute respiratory infections among young children in South Asia

Energy poverty has been extensively studied in the literature regarding its impact on physical, mental, and maternity health as well as the social well-being of adults. However, there is still a research gap in understanding how energy poverty specifically affects the health of young children under the age of five, particularly toward the occurrence of acute respiratory infections (ARIs). To address this gap, this paper aims to clarify the link between energy poverty and acute respiratory illness among young children in South Asia. We utilized data from five demographic and health surveys conducted between 2015 and 2018, encompassing 292,196 young children. Employing the multidimensional energy poverty index and principal component analysis, we assessed energy poverty at the household level, considering indicators such as lack of electricity, clean cooking fuels, indoor smoke, and lifestyle-sustaining devices. Applying multilevel logistic and probit instrumental variable regression models, this study revealed that multidimensional energy poverty significantly triggers the risk of ARI among young children. Specifically, a 1 % increase in energy poverty leads to a 48 % increase in the odds of developing ARI among young children in South Asian households. Furthermore, regional disparities in the impact of energy poverty on respiratory infections were identified. Our findings remain robust across different methods and measures of energy poverty. The findings of this research work have a significant policy implication for ensuring sustainable energy services to improve children's health, contributing to sustainable development goals 3 (good health and well-being) and 7 (affordable and clean energy).