The studies described in this section focus on relationships between housing and health. A number of studies have found that poor-quality housing conditions—for example, cold, hot, or damp housing, mold, pest infestation, lead paint, and overcrowded housing—are associated with health problems such as respiratory infections, asthma, lead poisoning, tuberculosis, infectious diseases, and injuries in children. Access to affordable housing can also affect health, because paying a large proportion of one's income for housing can mean increased stress and fewer dollars for other necessities. The location of affordable housing affects health, because concentrated affordable housing can lead to segregation of low-income people in areas with poor neighborhood conditions and poor access to jobs. Housing improvements have been found to be associated with improvements in self-reported mental and physical health.
The authors of these articles make several recommendations to improve housing and health, among them the following: 1) develop more affordable housing options; 2) strengthen housing maintenance codes; 3) increase resources for housing code inspections and enforcement; 4) expand the Healthy Homes program run by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to address more housing conditions; 5) increase redevelopment efforts; 6) use information on community characteristics when designing injury prevention programs; 7) target efforts to improve housing conditions at tracts of rental housing with high vacancy rates; 8) expand the role of public health agencies in housing inspection and education; and 9) develop new partnerships among community groups, public health agencies, and other government agencies to improve housing and health.
Burridge R, Ormandy D. Unhealthy housing: research, remedies, and reform. London: Spon Press; 1993.
Shaw, M. Housing and public health. Annual Review of Public Health. 2004;25:397-418.
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