Housing Conditions and Their Impact on Health of Residents

Abstract

Housing amounts to the physical structures that provide shelter, social services with a hygienic neighborhood, to fulfill the essential needs of the people. Housing factors have been shown to have an effect on an individual’s state of physical, mental, social and economic well-being. Indoor environmental factors such as crowding, environmental tobacco smoke, biofuels, dampness, house dust mites, temperature, age of building, pets, and indoor plants affect the wellbeing and productivity of the occupants. A literature review was performed on studies of housing conditions and health outcomes conducted in India and abroad from 1999 to 2020. The studies assessed housing quality by self-reported questionnaires administered through the postal system, face-to-face or via the internet. Visual signs and non-volumetric methods were used to assess indoor air quality and housing conditions, while the health of residents was assessed by self-reported questionnaire, or SF-36 questionnaire. Studies conducted in the United States of America, Europe, the United Kingdom, Middle East, Africa and Australasia have revealed that factors affecting health conditions were ventilation, dampness, presence of molds, overcrowding, house dust mite allergens, age and renovation of buildings and these factors showed an association with respiratory illnesses, colds, coughs, asthma, conjunctivitis, atopic dermatitis and ear infections. However, studies in India revealed that lack of proper ventilation, use of traditional fuels, crowding and poor hygienic conditions are the main factors associated with acute respiratory infections, asthma, tuberculosis, cardiovascular diseases and lung cancer. Thus, the review highlights that there is a need to improve housing conditions in India to enable the people to lead a healthy and productive life.

Keywords

• housing condition
• health outcomes
• overcrowding
• ventilation
• dampness