Ansah Richard Kwame, Boadi Richard Kena, Obeng-Denteh William, Asosega Killian Asampana, Tawiah Kassim
Department of Mathematics and Statistics, University of Energy and Natural Resources, Sunyani, Ghana.
Department of Mathematics, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana.
PLoS One. 2025 Jan 14;20(1):e0317004. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0317004. eCollection 2025.
Access to clean and efficient cooking fuel is crucial for promoting good health, safeguarding the environment, and driving economic growth. Despite efforts to promote the adoption of cleaner alternatives, traditional solid fuels such as charcoal and firewood remain prevalent in Ghana. In this study, we utilized a statistical mechanical model as a framework to explore the statistical relationship between socio-economic factors such as educational attainment, wealth status, place of residence, and cooking fuel choices. We analysed data from the Ghana Malaria Indicator Survey (GMIS) conducted in 2019, involving a total of 2,942 women of reproductive age. The findings revealed that 13.77% of participants preferred using LPG fuels for cooking, while 86.23% preferred non-LPG fuels for their cooking needs. The data indicated that among LPG users, 96.54% are educated women of reproductive age, and 3.46% are non-educated women of reproductive age. Among these, 95.31% are non-poor, and 4.69% are poor. Additionally, 21.73% reside in rural areas, while 78.27% live in urban areas. The data also showed that among non-LPG fuel users, 68.70% are educated women of reproductive age, and 31.30% are non-educated women of reproductive age. Among this group, 16.04% are non-poor, and 83.96% are poor. Furthermore, 67.24% reside in rural areas, and 32.76% live in urban areas. Our findings showed that in the absence of social interaction, a woman's wealth status has a relationship to her choice of fuel for cooking. Additionally, women of reproductive age in rural areas with some education demonstrated a significant private incentive (40.12%) to use LPG, implying a positive correlation between education and the use of LPG for cooking. However, when social interactions are considered, factors such as education, wealth status, and place of residence have significant relationships with a woman's decision about fuel choice. The interaction strength among women of reproductive age in urban areas with some education shows a negative estimate (-4.06%), suggesting that there is no significant imitative effect. The study further suggests that urban women of reproductive age who are poor exert a greater influence on their urban counterparts who are not poor when social interaction is incorporated. Women of reproductive age in rural areas with some form of education exert a greater influence on women of reproductive age in rural areas with no form of education. We recommend that the government of Ghana and its stakeholders focus on leveraging the influence of urban poor women and educated rural women through community-led programs and educational campaigns. Financial support mechanisms like microfinance and subsidies, alongside reliable LPG infrastructure, can make access easier for these target groups. Tailored communication strategies, peer-to-peer learning, and collaboration with local institutions are crucial for spreading awareness and encouraging the adoption of LPG.
获得清洁高效的烹饪燃料对于促进健康、保护环境和推动经济增长至关重要。尽管一直在努力推广使用更清洁的替代燃料，但在加纳，木炭和柴火等传统固体燃料仍然很普遍。在本研究中，我们使用统计力学模型作为框架，来探索诸如教育程度、财富状况、居住地点等社会经济因素与烹饪燃料选择之间的统计关系。我们分析了2019年进行的加纳疟疾指标调查（GMIS）的数据，该调查共涉及2942名育龄妇女。研究结果显示，13.77%的参与者更喜欢使用液化石油气燃料做饭，而86.23%的参与者因烹饪需求更喜欢非液化石油气燃料。数据表明，在使用液化石油气的用户中，96.54%是育龄受过教育的妇女，3.46%是育龄未受过教育的妇女。其中，95.31%是非贫困人口，4.69%是贫困人口。此外，21.73%居住在农村地区，78.27%居住在城市地区。数据还显示，在非液化石油气燃料用户中，68.70%是育龄受过教育的妇女，31.30%是育龄未受过教育的妇女。在这一组中，16.04%是非贫困人口，83.96%是贫困人口。此外，67.24%居住在农村地区，32.76%居住在城市地区。我们的研究结果表明，在缺乏社会互动的情况下，女性的财富状况与其烹饪燃料的选择有关。此外，农村地区受过一定教育的育龄妇女有显著的个人动机（40.12%）使用液化石油气，这意味着教育与使用液化石油气做饭之间存在正相关。然而，当考虑社会互动时，教育、财富状况和居住地点等因素与女性的燃料选择决定有显著关系。城市地区受过一定教育的育龄妇女之间的互动强度显示出负面估计（-4.06%），这表明没有显著的模仿效应。该研究进一步表明，纳入社会互动因素后，城市贫困育龄妇女对非贫困的城市同龄人的影响更大。农村地区受过某种形式教育的育龄妇女对未受过任何形式教育的农村地区育龄妇女的影响更大。我们建议加纳政府及其利益相关者通过社区主导的项目和教育活动，重点利用城市贫困妇女和受过教育的农村妇女的影响力。小额融资和补贴等财政支持机制，以及可靠的液化石油气基础设施，可以使这些目标群体更容易获得。量身定制的沟通策略、 peer-to-peer学习以及与当地机构的合作对于提高认识和鼓励采用液化石油气至关重要。 （注：“peer-to-peer”直译为“对等的、点对点的”，这里结合语境可理解为“同龄人之间的、相互学习的”，但按照要求未添加解释，直接保留英文）
