PUBLIC HOUSING PROGRAMS: POTENTIAL ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH BENEFITS THROUGH INDOOR AIR QUALITY: A CASE STUDY IN SANTIAGO, CHILE

Abstract

Background and Aims: Housing interventions, as rehousing/relocation of families from deprived to improved houses, can impact public health through reducing several risk factors. One of the potential benefits of relocation, which have not been studied extensively, is the improvement of indoor air quality of the relocated families. The purpose of this study was to determine differences in indoor air quality between families living in slums and families relocated through a housing program, both living in a similar geographical area in Santiago, Chile, and identify likely determinants of this difference. Methods: Using particulate matter PM2.5 as an indicator of indoor air quality, in this study we sampled 169 houses cross-sectionally: 98 relocated families and 71 families living in slum houses. In each home, Indoor and outdoor 24-hour samples and questionnaire about home conditions were collected. Results: Indoor PM2.5 concentrations inside slum homes were higher than in homes of relocated families (77.8 µg/m3 vs. 55.7 µg/m3, p<0.001). A regression model was used to identify determinants of indoor PM2.5 concentrations. Outdoor PM2.5 was the main predictor of indoor PM2.5, explaining 26.0% of the total variance of the model. Also significant were the type of fuel used to heat water and the number of indoor cigarettes smoked, which increased the indoor PM2.5, and the presence of infants, which was a protective factor. The intervention itself – comparing slum homes with relocated homes in the model–significantly decreased indoor PM2.5 Conclusions: These results show that a housing program may improve indoor air quality which represents a clear health benefit.