Citation

Barton A, Basham M, Foy C, Buckingham K, Somerville M. J. Epidemiol. Community Health 2007; 61(9): 771-777.

Affiliation

Peninsula Research & Development Support Unit, Room N17 ITTC Building, Tamar Science Park, Plymouth, UK. andy.barton@phnt.swest.nhs.uk

Copyright

(Copyright © 2007, BMJ Publishing Group)

DOI

10.1136/jech.2006.048462

PMID

17699530

PMCID

PMC2659999

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To assess the short term health effects of improving housing. DESIGN: Randomised to waiting list. SETTING: 119 council owned houses in south Devon, UK. PARTICIPANTS: About 480 residents of these houses. INTERVENTION: Upgrading houses (including central heating, ventilation, rewiring, insulation, and re-roofing) in two phases a year apart. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: All residents completed an annual health questionnaire: SF36 and GHQ12 (adults). Residents reporting respiratory illness or arthritis were interviewed using condition-specific questionnaires, the former also completing peak flow and symptom diaries (children) or spirometry (adults). Data on health service use and time lost from school were collected. RESULTS: Interventions improved energy efficiency. For those living in intervention houses, non-asthma-related chest problems (Mann-Whitney test, p = 0.005) and the combined asthma symptom score for adults (Mann-Whitney test, z = 2.7, p = 0.007) diminished significantly compared with control houses. No difference between intervention and control houses was seen for SF36 or GHQ12. CONCLUSIONS: Rigorous study designs for the evaluation of complex public health and community based interventions are possible. Quantitatively measured health benefits are small, but as health benefits were measured over a short time scale, there may have been insufficient time for measurable improvements in general and disease-specific health to become apparent.

Language: en