Effects of housing on health

In Nigeria and most developing countries, the effects of housing on health has been de-emphasised.

Housing and health may not be closely related, however your choice of neighbourhood and habitation plays a huge role in keeping you healthy. The effects of a sub-par housing condition on the health status of many residents could be devastating if not checked.

Inadequate or sub-standard housing environment has been acknowledged as one of the main settings that affect human health. Living and housing conditions are the basis of many factors influencing residential health. Indoor air quality, home safety, noise, humidity and mold growth, indoor temperatures, asbestos, lead, lack of hygiene and sanitation equipment, and overcrowding are some of the most relevant possible health threats to be found in dwellings. Physical, mental, and social health is affected by the living conditions, though evident but mechanisms have over time have been based on assumptions.

The quality of housing condition plays a decisive role in the health status of residents in any locality. Many health hazards are either directly or indirectly related to the building itself, because of the construction materials that were used and the equipment installed, or the size or design of the individual dwellings. The home also has a broad influence on the psycho-social and mental well-being by providing the basis for place attachment and identity as well as a last refuge from daily life.

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Presently, there is still no commonly agreed upon definition of ‘healthy housing’, and there are still major gaps in the knowledge on how housing conditions may affect health and which mitigation strategies may show the best results. Also, responsibilities for housing issues are mostly out of reach for many ministries of health, as housing is a traditional work field for ministries of works and housing, or falls under the mandate of the ministry of environment.

Because of this allocation of authority, a large amount of health-relevant decisions are assumed by the development and enforcement of urban planning guidelines, building regulations, and other relevant legal frameworks and policies directed at the various actors and stakeholders in the field of housing construction and maintenance.

What has been known for decades is that in the case of sub-standard housing conditions, residents may be the subject of several housing threats. Evidence has shown that those who have the least resources at their disposal suffer the worst housing conditions. Dealing with poverty will thus remain a most important element in any housing policy, either through specific housing programmes, or through specific economic policies.

Adequate shelter means more than a roof over one’s head. It also means adequate privacy; adequate space; physical accessibility; adequate security; security of tenure; structural stability and durability; adequate lighting, heating and ventilation; adequate basic infrastructure, such as water-supply, sanitation and waste-management facilities; suitable environmental quality and health-related factors; and adequate and accessible location with regard to work and basic facilities: all of which should be available at an affordable cost.

This shows that the relationship between housing and health is obviously a complex mix. It is also an area where national authorities, local authorities, and individuals can work intensively to achieve health gains through improving housing conditions, be it the physical housing or the social environment of the house. A home perceived as safe and intimate provides major psycho-social benefits. It represents a protected refuge from the outside world, enables the development of a sense of identity and attachment – as an individual or as a part of a family, and provides a space to be oneself. Any intrusion of external factors or stressors strongly limits this feeling of safety, intimacy, and control, thereby reducing the mental and social function of the home.

Inadequate dwelling conditions may trigger many of the direct health effects mentioned earlier. Mould growth, indoor air pollution, and emissions from building materials are as relevant issues as the occurrence of infestations, or lack of hygiene and sanitation amenities. On the structural side, the quality and the design of the dwelling are responsible for potential safety threats, the social functionality of the dwelling, and the degree of limitation for residents with physical handicaps.

In addition, to being influenced by other non-housing factors, crowding and noise exposure are also related to the design and layout of the dwelling.

Finally, the immediate housing environment has an impact on health through the quality of urban design. Poorly planned or deteriorated residential areas often lacking public services, parks, playgrounds, and walking areas, have been associated with lack of physical exercise, increased prevalence of obesity, cognitive problems in children, and a loss of the ability to socialise. Symptoms of neighbourhood decline affect residents through both visual mechanisms (litter, pollution,) and social mechanisms (segregation, loitering, increased insecurity).

Therefore, if health is a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity, and housing is the conjunction of the dwelling, the home, the immediate environment, and the community…then the role of public health is to provide the circumstances under which people can be healthy.

In summary, the consequence of the aforementioned is that housing is a topic for consideration to ministries of health, as well as for ministries of works and housing, environment, urban planning and probably social affairs.

Poor hygiene, noise pollution and sanitation as well as crowding are still typical basic problems of growing settlements and mega-cities, most of which are located in developing countries.

According to findings, there most definitely is an association between housing conditions and health effects.

Furthermore, the immediate housing environment and the neighbourhood represent an everyday-landscape, which can either support or limit the physical, mental, and social well-being of the residents. Although such impacts are broadly accepted, the concrete relationship between environmental quality and health/well-being has so far not been fully understood.

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