Multidimensional Household Energy Poverty and Its Association with Early Childhood Development among Children 24-59 months in Nigeria
1
Department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology, Federal University of Health Sciences, Otukpo, Nigeria
2
Lluvia Health Organization, Lagos, Nigeria
3
Department of Special Education, University of Jos, Jos, Nigeria
Popul. Med. 2026;8(Supplement Supplement 1):A2315
ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION:
Although energy poverty has been increasingly recognized as a determinant of child development,1 there is a paucity of empirical evidence on its implications for early childhood development (ECD) in Nigeria. This study investigates the association between household multidimensional energy poverty and key ECD outcomes, including health, learning and psychosocial well-being, among Nigerian children aged 24–59 months.
METHODS:
This population-based cross-sectional analysis used data from the 2021 Nigeria Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey, supported by UNICEF. The analytical sample comprised children aged 24–59 months (unweighted N = 11563). Early childhood development was assessed using the ECDI2030,3 capturing three domains: learning, psychosocial well-being and health. Household energy poverty was measured using the Multidimensional Energy Poverty Index (MEPI),2 which assesses affordability and access to modern energy services and was operationalized as a binary variable. To examine the association between energy poverty status and ECD outcomes, we employed mixed-effects multilevel logistic regression models with random intercepts.
RESULTS:
Overall, 79.6% of children lived in energy-poor households. After adjusting for confounders, household energy poverty was not significantly associated with overall ECD or domain-specific outcomes. Children residing in energy-poor households had higher odds of not being developmentally on track overall (OR = 1.32; 95% CI: 0.87–1.99). Similar non-significant associations were observed for the learning (OR = 1.22; 95% CI: 0.88–1.70) and psychosocial well-being domains (OR = 1.09; 95% CI: 0.84–1.42), while no association was observed for the health domain (OR = 0.91; 95% CI: 0.72–1.16).
CONCLUSIONS:
Despite the high prevalence of household energy poverty among Nigerian children, no statistically significant associations with early childhood development were observed. Nonetheless, the consistently elevated odds for overall, learning and psychosocial outcomes suggest potential developmental disadvantages associated with energy poverty that may not be fully captured by cross-sectional measures.
Although energy poverty has been increasingly recognized as a determinant of child development,1 there is a paucity of empirical evidence on its implications for early childhood development (ECD) in Nigeria. This study investigates the association between household multidimensional energy poverty and key ECD outcomes, including health, learning and psychosocial well-being, among Nigerian children aged 24–59 months.
METHODS:
This population-based cross-sectional analysis used data from the 2021 Nigeria Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey, supported by UNICEF. The analytical sample comprised children aged 24–59 months (unweighted N = 11563). Early childhood development was assessed using the ECDI2030,3 capturing three domains: learning, psychosocial well-being and health. Household energy poverty was measured using the Multidimensional Energy Poverty Index (MEPI),2 which assesses affordability and access to modern energy services and was operationalized as a binary variable. To examine the association between energy poverty status and ECD outcomes, we employed mixed-effects multilevel logistic regression models with random intercepts.
RESULTS:
Overall, 79.6% of children lived in energy-poor households. After adjusting for confounders, household energy poverty was not significantly associated with overall ECD or domain-specific outcomes. Children residing in energy-poor households had higher odds of not being developmentally on track overall (OR = 1.32; 95% CI: 0.87–1.99). Similar non-significant associations were observed for the learning (OR = 1.22; 95% CI: 0.88–1.70) and psychosocial well-being domains (OR = 1.09; 95% CI: 0.84–1.42), while no association was observed for the health domain (OR = 0.91; 95% CI: 0.72–1.16).
CONCLUSIONS:
Despite the high prevalence of household energy poverty among Nigerian children, no statistically significant associations with early childhood development were observed. Nonetheless, the consistently elevated odds for overall, learning and psychosocial outcomes suggest potential developmental disadvantages associated with energy poverty that may not be fully captured by cross-sectional measures.
| eISSN: | 2654-1459 |
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