The research aims to understand what factors cause fuel poverty to affect child mental health and what can be done to reduce or stop their impact. It involves three interlinked studies:
Study-1: A review of the literature to understand the theory behind how and why fuel poverty impacts child mental health.
Study-2: A secondary data analysis of The Born in Bradford (BiB) cohort study data to:
- Understand when mental health symptoms arise for children experiencing fuel poverty and how they might change over time.
- Investigate the factors causing fuel poverty to impact child mental health.
Study-3: Interviews with 4-6 BiB families to understand the lived experience of fuel poverty with a particular focus on perceived impact on child mental health.
Together these studies will produce a theory of change model to inform future interventions aimed at reducing the impact of fuel poverty on child mental health.