Powering growth or stunting futures? Energy poverty and long-term child nutrition in Malawi

Although access to energy is increasingly acknowledged as a cornerstone of sustainable development, its relationship child nutritional outcomes remains underexplored. This gap persists despite well-documented links between child nutrition and related factors such as indoor air pollution, which is one of the many consequences of energy poverty. This study investigates the relationship between household energy poverty and long-term child nutrition, paying particular attention to indoor air pollution as a potential transmission channel. Drawing on nationally representative data from the Malawi Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS), we examine a sample of 12,139 children under five years of age. Our results indicate that children residing in energy-poor households have significantly lower height-for-age z-scores (HAZ), reflecting poorer long-term nutritional status. Furthermore, energy poverty associates with changes in measures of indoor pollution, supporting the existence of an environmental pathway through which energy deprivation could hamper child growth. These findings underscore the importance of incorporating clean energy access into child health and nutrition policies, particularly in resource-limited settings where energy and health disparities frequently intersect.