Policy action

Pojar, Jan; Karásek, Jiří

doi:10.1016/b978-0-12-816952-0.00008-9

Cited by 1 publication

(1 citation statement)

References 0 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Cross-sectoral interventions aiming to reduce energy poverty and improve energy security by targeting the energy efficiency of dwellings have been shown to improve a range of health and well-being outcomes in varied population groups (Thomson et al, 2013;Willand et al, 2015Willand et al, , 2020. Residential building retrofits, for example, have the dual benefit of lowering greenhouse gas emissions and providing social and economic benefits that could assist with 9.5 (9.2, 9.9) Small population centre 13.0 (12.6, 13.5) Rural areas 16.9 (16.5, 17.3) health by way of mitigating energy poverty (Hoicka & Das, 2021;Pojar & Karásek, 2019;Sharpe et al, 2019). Programs and subsidies for housing retrofits as well as to build new energy-efficient dwellings should consider, and be assessed for, health and equity impacts as these most often target, or are most accessible to, those who are (financially) able to make changes to their dwellings.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Energy poverty: an overlooked determinant of health and climate resilience in Canada

Riva

Makasi

O’Sullivan

et al. 2023

Can J Public Health

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Objective Despite Canada being an important energy producer, not all Canadians can access or afford adequate levels of energy services at home to meet their needs, maintain healthy indoor temperatures, and live a decent life—a situation known as energy poverty. Depending on the measure, 6–19% of Canadian households face energy poverty. Health risks associated with energy poverty are documented in countries with milder climates. This study explores, for the first time in the Canadian context, the association between energy poverty and health. Methods Cross-sectional data are from the 2018 Canadian Housing Survey. Analyses are conducted on a sample weighted to represent 14 million Canadian households. The associations between expenditure-based and self-reported measures of energy poverty and self-rated general and mental health were assessed using logistic regression models, adjusted for potential confounding variables. Results The odds of rating one’s general (OR: 1.48; 95%CI: 1.29, 1.70) and mental (OR: 1.21; 1.04, 1.41) health as poor are significantly higher for Canadian adults in households with a high share of energy expenditure to income. The likelihood of poor general and mental health was significantly higher for those dissatisfied with the energy efficiency of their dwelling, and with their ability to maintain a comfortable temperature both in the winter and in the summer. Conclusion Exposure to energy poverty is associated with significantly increased likelihood of poor general and mental health. Given the high proportion of Canadian households facing energy poverty, with demonstrated implications for population health, tackling energy poverty is essential for an equitable energy transition and for climate resilience.

show abstract