title: The role of mixed methods in improved cookstove research.
abstract: The challenge of promoting access to clean and efficient household energy for cooking and heating is a critical issue facing low- and middle-income countries today. Along with clean fuels, improved cookstoves (ICSs) continue to play an important part in efforts to reduce the 4 million annual premature deaths attributed to household air pollution. Although a range of ICSs are available, there is little empirical evidence on appropriate behavior change approaches to inform adoption and sustained used at scale. Specifically, evaluations using either quantitative or qualitative methods provide an incomplete picture of the challenges in facilitating ICS adoption. This article examines how studies that use the strengths of both these approaches can offer important insights into behavior change in relation to ICS uptake and scale-up. Epistemological approaches, study design frameworks, methods of data collection, analytical approaches, and issues of validity and reliability in the context of mixed methods ICS research are examined, and the article presents an example study design from an evaluation study in Kenya incorporating a nested approach and a convergent case oriented design. The authors discuss the benefits and methodological challenges of mixed-methods approaches in the context of researching behavior change and ICS use recognizing that such methods represent relatively uncharted territory. The authors propose that more published examples are needed to provide frameworks for other researchers seeking to apply mixed methods in this context and suggest a comprehensive research agenda is required that incorporates integrated mixed-methods approaches, to provide best evidence for future scale-up.
authors.affiliation: a Department of Public Health and Policy, Institute of Psychology, Health and Society , University of Liverpool , Liverpool , United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Debbi
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Stanistreet
authors.forename: Lirije
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Hyseni
authors.forename: Michelle
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bashin
authors.forename: Ibrahim
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Sadumah
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Pope
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sage
authors.forename: Nigel
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Bruce
mesh_terms: D016902:Air Pollution, Indoor / Q000517:prevention & control; D035841:Behavioral Research / Q000379:methods*; D003296:Cooking / Q000295:instrumentation*; D004867:Equipment Design; D015438:Health Behavior; D006293:Health Promotion; D006801:Humans; D007630:Kenya; D012107:Research Design