Barriers and Facilitators to the Adoption and Sustained Use of Cleaner Fuels in Southwest Cameroon: Situating ‘Lay’ Knowledge within Evidence-Based Policy and Practice

Debbi Stanistreet, Lirije Hyseni, Elisa Puzzolo, James Higgerson, Sara Ronzi, Rachel Anderson de Cuevas, Oluwakorede Adekoje, Nigel Bruce, Bertrand Mbatchou Ngahane and Daniel Pope
Additional contact information
Debbi Stanistreet: Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, Royal College Surgeons Ireland, Dublin D02 YN77, Ireland
Lirije Hyseni: Department of Public Health and Policy, University of Liverpool, Liverpool L69 3BX, UK
Elisa Puzzolo: Department of Public Health and Policy, University of Liverpool, Liverpool L69 3BX, UK
James Higgerson: Department of Nursing, Midwifery and Social Work, University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PL, UK
Sara Ronzi: Department of Public Health and Policy, University of Liverpool, Liverpool L69 3BX, UK
Rachel Anderson de Cuevas: Department of Public Health and Policy, University of Liverpool, Liverpool L69 3BX, UK
Oluwakorede Adekoje: Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, Royal College Surgeons Ireland, Dublin D02 YN77, Ireland
Nigel Bruce: Department of Public Health and Policy, University of Liverpool, Liverpool L69 3BX, UK
Bertrand Mbatchou Ngahane: Internal Medicine Service, Douala General Hospital, Douala 4108, Cameroon
Daniel Pope: Department of Public Health and Policy, University of Liverpool, Liverpool L69 3BX, UK

IJERPH, 2019, vol. 16, issue 23, 1-18

Abstract: Approximately four million people die each year in low- and middle-income countries from household air pollution (HAP) due to inefficient cooking with solid fuels. Liquid Petroleum Gas (LPG) offers a clean energy option in the transition towards renewable energy. This qualitative study explored lay knowledge of barriers and facilitators to scaling up clean fuels in Cameroon, informed by Quinn et al.’s Logic Model. The model has five domains and we focused on the user and community needs domain, reporting the findings of 28 semi-structured interviews (SSIs) and four focus group discussions (FGDs) that explored the reasons behind fuel use choices. The findings suggest that affordability, safety, convenience, and awareness of health issues are all important influences on decision making to the adoption and sustained use of LPG, with affordability being the most critical issue. We also found the ability of clean fuels to meet cooking needs to be central to decision-making, rather than an aspect of convenience, as the logic model suggests. Local communities provide important insights into the barriers and facilitators to using clean fuels. We adapt Quinn et al.’s logic model accordingly, giving more weight to lay knowledge so that it is better positioned to inform policy development.

Keywords: household air pollution; liquefied petroleum gas; LPG; Cameroon; household perspectives; clean fuels (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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