Applied Implementation Research for Clean Cooking in Cambodia

Not Applicable

Not yet recruiting

• Conditions: Exposure to Environmental Pollution; Exposure to Household Air Pollution

• Registration Number: NCT06942715
• Lead Sponsor: Emory University

Brief Summary

The goal of this study is to learn how to help families in Cambodia switch to using electric induction stoves instead of traditional stoves that burn wood or charcoal. The study will also look at whether this switch is safe, affordable, and sustainable over time.

The main questions researchers want to answer are:

* What strategies work best to encourage families to use induction stoves regularly and stop using traditional cooking methods?

* Does switching to induction cooking reduce household air pollution for primary cooks?

* What are the costs and benefits of these strategies?

To answer these questions, researchers will compare four different strategies across 62 peri-urban villages in Cambodia. They will use data loggers to track when families use induction stoves or traditional stoves, and measure air pollution levels in the home before and after families receive induction stoves.

Participants will:

* Receive an electric induction stove and support based on their group's strategy

* Have their stove use tracked through special devices

* Take part in air pollution measurements in their homes

* Share information about their cooking habits and experiences

Detailed Description

Around 3 billion people worldwide cook using biomass fuels like wood, charcoal, and animal dung, which creates household air pollution responsible for about 2.3 million premature deaths each year from diseases such as heart disease, respiratory illnesses, diabetes, and cancer. Previous efforts to clean up biomass fuel burning have not sufficiently reduced air pollution or replaced traditional stoves, leading researchers to explore even cleaner alternatives like electric induction cooking.

This study evaluates whether electric induction stoves can effectively lower household air pollution in Cambodia. Using a rigorous, multi-year, cluster-randomized trial in 62 peri-urban villages, the study will:

* Develop and test different strategies (such as direct sales, subsidies, and community promotion) to encourage the purchase and regular use of induction stoves.

* Measure stove usage with cloud-connected data loggers that record cooking times and energy consumption.

* Collect household air pollution data and conduct surveys and interviews with approximately 3,100 households, with a focus on primary cooks.

The study also includes a comprehensive cost-effectiveness analysis to understand the benefits in terms of health, environmental impact, time savings, and equity, especially for women and girls who primarily prepare food. By using established frameworks like (RE-AIM) and Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR), the research aims to build a strong evidence base to support the scale-up of clean cooking interventions in Cambodia and other low- and middle-income settings.

Study Timeline

• Study First Submitted: 2025-03-24
• Status Verified: 2025-04
• Study First Submitted QC: 2025-04-16
• Last Update Submitted: 2025-04-16
• Study First Posted: 2025-04-24
• Last Update Posted: 2025-04-24
• Study Start: 2025-09
• Primary Completion: 2028-12
• Study Completion: 2028-12

Recruitment & Eligibility

• Status: NOT_YET_RECRUITING
• Sex: All
• Target Recruitment: 6150

Inclusion Criteria

• A household must:

• Provide consent to participate in our study, with at least one adult household member who identifies as the primary cook consenting to serve as the study participant
• Resides in village selected for implementation
• Household has electricity access
• Household does not already use electricity-based induction cooking technology

Exclusion Criteria

• Household members currently smoke cigarettes or other tobacco products
• Plans to move permanently outside the study area in the next 12 months
• The primary cook prepares food and/or drink for commercial sale

Study & Design

• Study Type: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Design: PARALLEL

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Induction stove purchase: Proportion of eligible households that purchase an induction stove, based on study and sales records	12 months, at the end of intervention completion	This outcome will assess the proportion of eligible households that purchase an induction stove during the intervention period. Purchase data will be tracked through verified sales receipts linked to household study IDs. The outcome will be calculated as the number of participating households with a confirmed induction stove purchased divided by the total number of households in the enrolled community. Results will be reported overall and stratified by household income status.
Induction stove use: Number of daily cooking events	Up to 30 months following stove purchase	This outcome will assess the intensity of induction stove use derived from built-in stove usage data loggers installed on all induction stoves sold to participants. All participating households that purchase an induction stove and consent to follow-up monitoring will have induction stove usage recorded up to 30 months following stove purchase. These devices log time-of-use for each induction surface/burner and energy used by the stove during cooking. This metric will count the number of daily cooking events.
Induction stove use: Duration of daily cooking	Up to 30 months following stove purchase	This outcome will assess the intensity of induction stove use derived from built-in stove usage data loggers installed on all induction stoves sold to participants. All participating households that purchase an induction stove and consent to follow-up monitoring will have induction stove usage recorded up to 30 months following stove purchase. These devices log time-of-use for each induction surface/burner and energy used by the stove during cooking. This metric will evaluate the duration of stove use per day
Induction stove use: Daily electricity consumption of cooking events	Up to 30 months following stove purchase	This outcome will assess the intensity of induction stove use derived from built-in stove usage data loggers installed on all induction stoves sold to participants. All participating households that purchase an induction stove and consent to follow-up monitoring will have induction stove usage recorded up to 30 months following stove purchase. These devices log time-of-use for each induction surface/burner and energy used by the stove during cooking. This metric will evaluate the amount of energy used per day by the induction stove unit: (electricity consumption in kWh)

Secondary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Biomass stove disuse: Proportion of days with no biomass stove use among households that purchased an induction stove	Daily, over a 1-week period following stove purchase	This outcome will measure how many households stop using traditional biomass stoves after purchasing an induction stove. Participating households that consent to follow-up will have biomass stove use monitored for 7 days, between 6-8 weeks after purchase. Monitoring will use Geocene Dots-thermocouple-based temperature loggers that record stove temperatures and transmit data via Bluetooth to mobile devices, which sync to a central server. A validated algorithm will convert temperature data into daily usage metrics (number and duration of cooking events). The outcome will be reported as the proportion of days with no biomass stove use. Data will be aggregated across up to 2,400 households, with results stratified by income status.
Determinants: Induction stove purchase and use determinants	30 months	This outcome will assess household- and individual-level determinants associated with the purchase and use of induction stoves and continued use of biomass stoves. Structured survey data will be collected from all enrolled households at baseline and again at endline. Data will be analyzed to identify key factors associated with induction stove purchase, frequency and intensity of induction stove use, and continued use of biomass stoves. Results will be reported overall and stratified by household income status
Personal exposure: Changes in personal 24-hour exposure to PM2.5 among primary cooks, measured before and after the intervention	30 months	This outcome will assess changes in 24-hour personal exposure to fine particulate matter (PM2.5) among primary household cooks following the purchase of induction stoves. PM2.5 exposure will be measured using wearable personal exposure monitors placed in the breathing zone of the primary cook for a continuous 24-hour period. Measurements will be collected from approximately 600 households at two time points - once before intervention (baseline) and once post-intervention (follow-up) - for a total of at least 1,200 exposure measurements. Results will be reported as the mean difference in 24-hour exposure between baseline and follow-up, overall and stratified by household income status.

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

International Development Enterprises: iDE; 🇰🇭 Kampong Speu, Cambodia