Household Energy Insecurity and Child Health Outcomes in the United States

• In Event: Power, Heat, and Well-Being: Energy Access as a Social Determinant of Health

Abstract

Each year, millions of low- and moderate-income households with children in America are affected by household energy insecurity, the inability to adequately afford enough energy to meet their basic heating and cooling needs. Although energy insecurity has been identified as one of the major contributors to adverse health outcomes, there are few comprehensive studies that examine how energy insecurity impacts children's health outcomes. To fill this gap in the existing literature, this manuscript has two primary objectives. First, we examine the relationship between overall energy insecurity and children’s well-being and health outcomes across five domains, including child physical health, mental health, behavior problems, cognitive difficulties, and a summary measure of overall wellbeing. Second, we explore whether the three dimensions of energy insecurity, (a) having difficulty paying utility bills, (b) foregoing basic necessities to pay for utility bills, and (c) having unsafe indoor temperatures, are independently associated with adverse well-being and health outcomes and compare their relative impacts on children.

Our study employs a nationally representative sample of households with children under the age of 18 (n = 143,507) collected through the U.S. Census Bureau’s Household PULSE survey. Findings show that all three forms of energy insecurity are significantly associated with each negative child wellbeing outcome. The presence of energy insecurity was associated with a 6.7 to 15.0 percentage point higher probability of reporting poor physical health, mental health challenges, behavioral problems, and cognitive difficulties in children. We find that keeping the home at unsafe indoor temperatures showed the highest association with adverse well-being and health outcomes in children compared to other dimensions of energy insecurity. These findings show how household energy insecurity intersects with children’s well-being and health outcomes in the U.S. The results of our study also highlight the need for policymakers and public health practitioners to develop targeted policy responses and interventions that can reduce the negative impact of energy insecurity on children’s physical and mental well-being.

Author

• Trevor Memmott, University of Massachusetts at Boston
  Presenting Author