The relationship between poor housing and ill health is a complicated one which involves many different factors. Evidence suggests that living in poor housing can lead to an increased risk of cardiovascular and respiratory disease as well as to anxiety and depression. Problems such as damp, mould, excess cold and structural defects which increase the risk of an accident also present hazards to health.
A useful summary of the key issues surrounding health and housing in the UK can be found the following document published by Parliamentary Office of Science & Technology.
A more detailed assessment can be found in the following World Health Organisation publication.
Environmental burden of disease associated with inadequate housing.
Methods for quantifying health impacts of selected housing risks in the WHO European Region. WHO Europe. June 2011
To assist its members and local housing managers in achieving a better understanding of the links between housing and health, the CIEH commissioned the Building Research Establishment (BRE) Housing Centre to produce a toolkit. The aim of the toolkit is to show how links between homes and health can be made, including where possible, the cost benefit of some specifically linked housing and health issues. Providing evidence of cost benefit is important where resources for improvement or enforcement are lacking. Further information and a link to the toolkit itself can be found on the Good Housing Leads to Good Health page.
Environmental health practitioners (EHP) are at the forefront of activities to prevent ill health occurring due to poor housing conditions. For examples of how EHPs can make a real difference to peoples’ lives in this respect, see the report by the Derbyshire Housing and Health Group called ‘Housing and Health – Practical Illustrations’ in the Related content box to the right.
Cold homes
Living in a cold home can present particular risks to health. As part of its ongoing campaign to tackle the problem of excessively cold homes, Friends of the Earth (FoE) commissioned the Marmot Health Inequalities Review team to produce a report examining the problem. The report can be found on the Marmot Review Team’s website.
There is also an economic impact if people are forced to live in cold homes. A report produced by the BRE Trust for the CIEH, on behalf of FoE, in early 2011 estimates the number of dwellings within the English housing stock where the energy efficiency rating is considered poor. It then considers the associated estimated costs to the NHS of poor health as a result of these dwellings.