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Targeting Pregnancy and Marriage with Clean Fuels: A Pilot Study in Maharashtra, India

inactive 2017–2019 · Assessing Interventions: What Works? How Well? For How Long?

In Maharashtra, India, we collaborated with Sri Ramachandra Institute of Higher Education and Research (SRIHER) and KEM Hospital Research Centre to provide clean fuels to pregnant women, recruited in the late first or early second trimester, in Pune district, Maharashtra, India. Our study sought to evaluate whether fuel use could be incentivized using a conditional cash transfer and, additionally, what the benefit and cost of providing free fuel during pregnancy would be in terms of pollution exposure reduction and exclusive use of clean fuels. Our study had multiple arms: one in which household received a clean LPG stove and two cylinders of fuel; one in which household were paid for their LPG use, using a novel conditional cash transfer sensor; and one in which households received free fuel for the duration of pregnancy (up to one free refill per month). Finally, we sought to assess the feasibility of targeting newly wed couples prior to conception; we did so because reducing exposures in the first trimesters is thought to be critical. Findings from the study, which was funded by the Clean Cooking Implementation Science Network, were extensively published.

Publications

2021

Barriers to and facilitators of uptake and sustained use of LPG through the PMUY in tribal communities of Pune district

Patil R, Roy S, Gore M, Ghorpade M, Pillarisetti A, Chakma J, Juvekar S. Barriers to and facilitators of uptake and sustained use of LPG through the PMUY in tribal communities of Pune district. Energy for Sustainable Development 2021. doi.org/10.1016/j.esd.2021.04.008

2020

Marriage-based pilot clean household fuel intervention in India for improved pregnancy outcomes

Pillarisetti A, Roy S, Diamond-Smith N, Ghorpade M, Dhongade A, Balakrishnan K, Sambandam S, Patil R, Levine D, Juvekar S, Smith K. Marriage-based pilot clean household fuel intervention in India for improved pregnancy outcomes. BMJ Open. 2020/10; 10(10):e044127. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2020-044127.

2019

Promoting LPG usage during pregnancy: A pilot study in rural Maharashtra, India

Pillarisetti A*, Ghorpade M, Madhav S, Dhongade A, Roy S, Balakrishnan K, Sankar S, Patil R, Levine DI, Juvekar S, Smith KR (2019) Promoting LPG usage during pregnancy: A pilot study in rural Maharashtra, India. Environment International 127:540-549.     Supporting Information (.docx)

2018

The Pink Key: a low-cost stove use monitor to enable conditional cash transfers

Pillarisetti A*, Gill M, Allen T, Madhavan S, Dhongade A, Ghorpade M, Roy S, Balakrishnan K, Juvekar S, Smith KR. 2019. The Pink Key: a low-cost stove use monitor to enable conditional cash transfers. Ecohealth 15 (4) : 768-776. doi.org/10.1007/s10393-018-1379-5

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