Environmental conditions in low-income urban housing: clustering and associations with self-reported health. Am J Public Health 2014 Sep;104(9):1650-6
Date
09/14/2013Pubmed ID
24028244Pubmed Central ID
PMC3954449DOI
10.2105/AJPH.2013.301253Scopus ID
2-s2.0-84904441140 (requires institutional sign-in at Scopus site) 71 CitationsAbstract
OBJECTIVES: We explored prevalence and clustering of key environmental conditions in low-income housing and associations with self-reported health.
METHODS: The Health in Common Study, conducted between 2005 and 2009, recruited participants (n = 828) from 20 low-income housing developments in the Boston area. We interviewed 1 participant per household and conducted a brief inspection of the unit (apartment). We created binary indexes and a summed index for household exposures: mold, combustion by-products, secondhand smoke, chemicals, pests, and inadequate ventilation. We used multivariable logistic regression to examine the associations between each index and household characteristics and between each index and self-reported health.
RESULTS: Environmental problems were common; more than half of homes had 3 or more exposure-related problems (median summed index = 3). After adjustment for household-level demographics, we found clustering of problems in site (P < .01) for pests, combustion byproducts, mold, and ventilation. Higher summed index values were associated with higher adjusted odds of reporting fair-poor health (odds ratio = 2.7 for highest category; P < .008 for trend).
CONCLUSIONS: We found evidence that indoor environmental conditions in multifamily housing cluster by site and that cumulative exposures may be associated with poor health.
Author List
Adamkiewicz G, Spengler JD, Harley AE, Stoddard A, Yang M, Alvarez-Reeves M, Sorensen GAuthor
Amy Harley PhD Assistant Professor in the School of Public Health department at University of Wisconsin - MilwaukeeMESH terms used to index this publication - Major topics in bold
AdolescentAdult
Air Pollution, Indoor
Animals
Boston
Cluster Analysis
Environmental Exposure
Female
Fungi
Health Status
Housing
Humans
Insecta
Male
Middle Aged
Pesticides
Poverty
Prevalence
Rodentia
Socioeconomic Factors
Urban Population
Ventilation
Young Adult
