The behavioral impact of basic energy access: A randomized controlled trial with solar lanterns in rural India

Mahajan, Aseem; Harish, S.P.; Urpelainen, Johannes

doi:10.1016/j.esd.2020.04.005

Cited by 23 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 57 publications

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“…Compared to other studies using Guvenc’s scale, our results suggest that hard-to-reach women from Bogotá have lower perceived susceptibility [ 22 , 37 – 40 ], higher perceived severity [ 21 , 22 , 37 – 42 ], higher perceived benefits [ 38 – 44 ] and lower perceived barriers [ 21 , 38 , 41 , 42 , 45 , 46 ], towards cervical cancer screening. Recent reviews concluded that these beliefs have been less researched in Latin America [ 47 , 48 ].…”

Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 75%

Improving intervention design to promote cervical cancer screening among hard-to-reach women: assessing beliefs and predicting individual attendance probabilities in Bogotá, Colombia

et al. 2022

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Background Despite being a preventable disease, cervical cancer continues to be a public health concern, affecting mainly lower and middle-income countries. Therefore, in Bogotá a home-visit based program was instituted to increase screening uptake. However, around 40% of the visited women fail to attend their Pap smear test appointments. Using this program as a case study, this paper presents a methodology that combines machine learning methods, using routinely collected administrative data, with Champion’s Health Belief Model to assess women’s beliefs about cervical cancer screening. The aim is to improve the cost-effectiveness of behavioural interventions aiming to increase attendance for screening. The results presented here relate specifically to the case study, but the methodology is generic and can be applied in all low-income settings. Methods This is a cross-sectional study using two different datasets from the same population and a sequential modelling approach. To assess beliefs, we used a 37-item questionnaire to measure the constructs of the CHBM towards cervical cancer screening. Data were collected through a face-to-face survey (N = 1699). We examined instrument reliability using Cronbach’s coefficient and performed a principal component analysis to assess construct validity. Then, Kruskal–Wallis and Dunn tests were conducted to analyse differences on the HBM scores, among patients with different poverty levels. Next, we used data retrieved from administrative health records (N = 23,370) to fit a LASSO regression model to predict individual no-show probabilities. Finally, we used the results of the CHBM in the LASSO model to improve its accuracy. Results Nine components were identified accounting for 57.7% of the variability of our data. Lower income patients were found to have a lower Health motivation score (p-value < 0.001), a higher Severity score (p-value < 0.001) and a higher Barriers score (p-value < 0.001). Additionally, patients between 25 and 30 years old and with higher poverty levels are less likely to attend their appointments (O.R 0.93 (CI: 0.83–0.98) and 0.74 (CI: 0.66–0.85), respectively). We also found a relationship between the CHBM scores and the patient attendance probability. Average AUROC score for our prediction model is 0.9. Conclusion In the case of Bogotá, our results highlight the need to develop education campaigns to address misconceptions about the disease mortality and treatment (aiming at decreasing perceived severity), particularly among younger patients living in extreme poverty. Additionally, it is important to conduct an economic evaluation of screening options to strengthen the cervical cancer screening program (to reduce perceived barriers). More widely, our prediction approach has the potential to improve the cost-effectiveness of behavioural interventions to increase attendance for screening in developing countries where funding is limited.

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Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 75%

Improving intervention design to promote cervical cancer screening among hard-to-reach women: assessing beliefs and predicting individual attendance probabilities in Bogotá, Colombia

et al. 2022

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“…The present system lacks a quality assurance mechanism for small solar systems like lanterns, and this creates uncertainty in products (Mahajan et al 2020). Policies should include a quality determining system that honestly rates each device and allows customers to make an informed choice.…”

Section: Scope For Improvementmentioning

confidence: 99%

Review of Sustainable Grid‐Independent Renewable Energy Access in Remote Communities of India

Bose

Saini

Yadav

et al. 2021

Integr Envir Assess & Manag

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In the last decade India has seen an increase in the adoption of solar energy‐based technologies by consumers, which has been supported by various government efforts and policies. The rural areas and low‐income households that lack a proper electricity supply have emerged as a market for solar off‐grid technologies, with private developers increasing their market base slowly in this group. This has promulgated the need to restructure the decentralized energy sector. Existing literature points out the suitability of solar off‐grid in such markets; the present study investigates the challenges that have hindered its growth. The study reviews the concept of poverty with respect to the energy sector and analyzes methods of determining poor energy access in the present scenario. It emphasizes the need to understand and reconceptualize policy instruments in order to make solar off‐grid a powerful tool in tackling energy demand and providing adequate energy access. It further explores the causes of energy disconnects and how grid‐independent solar energy is a technological solution of utmost relevance and in consonance with the idea of sustainable development. For a successful venture, both consumer behavior and marketer objectives are important determinants. The work also provides insights into various models, tools, factors, and social constructs that affect consumer perception and subsequently demand. Over the course of the study, it has been revealed how private players and entrepreneurs are tapping the wrong solar market, leading to misappropriation of solar energy technologies. The suggested improvements and recommendations of the present study from the analysis can serve as a guide for policy makers, technological innovators, and financial stakeholders. Integr Environ Assess Manag 2021;17:364–375. © 2020 SETAC

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“…With the use of input-output tables and social accounting matrixes, research has established that renewable energy projects are associated with higher income levels and job creation in beneficiary communities [2], [21]. More robust quantitative evidence resulting from randomized control trials shows that solar lanterns increase energy services and satisfaction with these services [22], while they have no effect on educational outcomes [23] and fail to deliver broad socio-economic impacts in poor communities [24]. In the context of Indigenous communities, research has adopted a qualitative approach and suggests that renewable energy can relate to different dimensions of wellbeing, including subjective, material and relational ones [10].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Renewable Energy and Community Development

Zapata¹

2022

Preprint

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Energy transitions in Indigenous, Northern and remote communities in Canada promise benefits that go beyond reliable, clean and affordable energy services. The Federal and Provincial governments have committed funding to get remote communities off diesel, acknowledging energy transitions’ global and local benefits. Besides climate change mitigation, other benefits, including job creation, income generation, community ownership and local economic growth, are fundamental components of the value proposition of renewable energy projects. However, despite the promises, little evidence on the impacts of renewable energy on communities’ local conditions exists. This article looks at the relationship between renewable energy projects and community wellbeing in Canada. We construct a panel of Indigenous community wellbeing with Census data and information about renewable energy projects for the period 1981 – 2016, and find that renewable energy is associated with higher levels of wellbeing. Concretely, having access to renewable energy increases overall wellbeing by 1 to 5 points on the 0-100 wellbeing scale, depending on the component of the wellbeing index considered in the analysis.

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The behavioral impact of basic energy access: A randomized controlled trial with solar lanterns in rural India

Cited by 23 publications

References 57 publications

Improving intervention design to promote cervical cancer screening among hard-to-reach women: assessing beliefs and predicting individual attendance probabilities in Bogotá, Colombia

Improving intervention design to promote cervical cancer screening among hard-to-reach women: assessing beliefs and predicting individual attendance probabilities in Bogotá, Colombia

Review of Sustainable Grid‐Independent Renewable Energy Access in Remote Communities of India

Renewable Energy and Community Development

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