Shaw, M. Housing and public health. Annual Review of Public Health. 2004;25:397-418.
In this overview of the impact of housing on health from both a historical and contemporary perspective, the author first discusses ways in which material disparities affect individuals and families living in substandard homes. Examples include poor ventilation and low-quality construction/maintenance. Such housing conditions have been linked to respiratory disease, lead poisoning, and increased injury. Next, the author considers effects of the meaning of home on individuals and families, pointing out how adequate housing can provide a sense of privacy, security, and control for individuals. In turn, inadequate housing may influence individuals' health and mental well-being by increasing their level of stress as they are affected by security and long-term stability. The author then focuses on how the material disparities of housing affect neighborhoods and communities, pointing to evidence showing that lower-quality features of a community's environment can have a negative impact on that community's ability to be healthy. Last, the author considers how the meaning of home collectively affects neighborhoods and communities, examining how housing location and environment can directly affect a community's social cohesiveness and the ability of its citizens to work together to create change. The author concludes that public health officials must address the need for better-quality housing at both the individual and neighborhood/community level. Recognizing public health's strong historic link with housing, the author emphasizes that improved housing is a critical element in tackling contemporary health inequalities more broadly.
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