Improved Cookstoves in Central America: Health Impacts and Uptake

The report examines the impact of improved cookstoves in Central America, noting that while many stoves reduce emissions, they often fail to meet WHO air quality guidelines for personal exposure. It identifies user-centered design, training, and financing as critical for adoption, while highlighting a lack of longitudinal data on sustained use.

• Household air pollution (HAP) causes approximately 37,000 premature deaths annually in Central America, primarily affecting women and children.
• Self-reported data from 30 stove models indicate an average reduction of CO emissions by 59% and particulate matter (PM) by 95% compared to open fires, though only 16% of these stoves have third-party certification.
• Despite significant reductions in indoor air pollution, high-performance stoves like the plancha stove do not reduce particulate matter to levels that meet WHO guidelines, and reductions in personal exposure are often more modest than reductions in general indoor concentrations.
• Successful adoption of improved cookstoves in the region is driven by user-centered design, thorough training, community involvement, cost-sharing models, and the availability of after-sales services and spare parts.
• The cost of improved cookstoves in Central America is often prohibitively high for low-income households because they must include a “plancha” (griddle) for baking tortillas, a regional staple.
• There is a significant gap in comprehensive, longitudinal studies regarding the sustained household adoption of improved cookstoves over time in Central America.

APA

Lambe, F., & Ochieng, C. (n.d.). Improved Cookstoves in Central America: Health Impacts and Uptake. Stockholm Environment Institute. https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/SEI-desk-study-2015-cookstoves-central-america.pdf

Chicago

Lambe, Fiona, and Caroline Ochieng. Improved Cookstoves in Central America: Health Impacts and Uptake. Stockholm Environment Institute, n.d. https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/SEI-desk-study-2015-cookstoves-central-america.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Lambe |first1=Fiona |last2=Ochieng |first2=Caroline |title=Improved Cookstoves in Central America: Health Impacts and Uptake |publisher=Stockholm Environment Institute |url=https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/SEI-desk-study-2015-cookstoves-central-america.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{lambendimproved, author = {Lambe, Fiona and Ochieng, Caroline}, title = {{Improved Cookstoves in Central America: Health Impacts and Uptake}}, institution = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, url = {https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/SEI-desk-study-2015-cookstoves-central-america.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }