Health and environmental benefits of improved cookstoves

Three billion people across the world still use traditional cooking methods: in Sub-Saharan Africa, 77% of households will still not have access to modern cooking services by 2030 according to the World Bank. East Africa in particular is a ‘hotspot’ where demand for charcoal, used to support traditional cooking methods, is unsustainable. In 2019 Berkouwer launched a randomized controlled trial with 1,000 residents of Nairobi, Kenya that demonstrated that the modern Jikokoa cookstove reduced daily charcoal usage by 40%. Given that initial research identified large charcoal usage reductions, significant health benefits are plausible, especially after three years of daily use. This 2022 follow-up is designed to rigorously measure air pollution and respiratory health outcomes using state-of-the-art pollution and medical monitoring technologies.