Adverse effects of the use of solid fuels on health outcomes in Chile

Vollständiger Abstract

Worum geht es in dieser Arbeit?

This study provides nationally representative evidence on the health effects of household solid fuel use in Chile, where firewood remains a common heating source despite high electrification. Using pooled CASEN microdata for 2015, 2017, and 2022, we estimate the Average Treatment Effect on the Treated (ATT) of living in a solid-fuel household on multiple morbidity indicators. To strengthen identification in repeated cross-sections and ensure comparisons are made within common support, we apply Coarsened Exact Matching (CEM) on key socioeconomic, housing, territorial, and survey-year characteristics, and estimate weighted post-matching linear probability models with household-clustered standard errors. Using self-reported morbidity and medical-treatment indicators, we find that solid-fuel use is associated with higher probabilities of recent illness (+2.14 pp) and treated morbidity, with the most consistent evidence for chronic systemic conditions (+0.49 pp) and weaker but positive evidence for cardiovascular conditions (+0.46 pp). These estimates reflect differences in health outcomes between comparable matched groups rather than cumulative long-run exposure effects. Heterogeneity analyses suggest that effects are more consistently concentrated among women and working-age adults, and that estimates vary meaningfully across macro-zones. Overall, the findings highlight household solid-fuel use as a relevant and unequal source of health risk in Chile, and point to the value of policies that facilitate cleaner residential heating and reduce exposure among vulnerable groups.