Physical Housing Research Articles

Patients’ Perspectives on Elements of Stable Housing and Threats to Housing Stability

Objective: This study assessed how patients who screened positive for housing instability in a clinical outpatient setting perceived stable housing and threats to housing stability—understanding that will help to ensure that their housing needs are addressed. Method: We conducted qualitative interviews with 60 patients (40 men, 20 women) who sought services at a Veterans Affairs Medical Center in a large northeastern city and screened positive on the Veterans Health Administration Homelessness Screening Clinical Reminder. We used a modified grounded-theory approach and constant comparative method to analyze data. Results: Participants identified four core concepts of stable housing: affordable, permanent, comfortable and safe, and structurally and functionally adequate; they also identified three primary threats to housing stability: uncertain finances, the volatile nature of available housing, and personal stressors. Results reflect both physical housing elements and psychological features of home. Conclusions: Health care systems should consider appropriate screening items for their particular service population, ensuring that patients’ needs are addressed along a continuum of housing instability. In addition, it is important to integrate each domain identified by patients into services to mitigate homelessness; existing interventions may have limited capacity to fulfill the domain of comfort and safety.

Associations between ventilation, indoor air quality, and health in residential buildings

Background: While there is an increasing interest in zero-energy buildings, limited evidence is available on how building characteristics affect the level of indoor air quality and occupants’ health status. This study aimed to compare the indoor air quality between the zero-energy building and general apartment in Nowon-gu, Seoul, South Korea and to investigate the relationship between occupants’ behavior, indoor air quality, and level of symptoms.Methods: We recruited twenty-five households for case (zero-energy house) and control group (general apartment) respectively. Self-reported questionnaires were conducted on demographic profiles, general housing conditions, occupants’ behaviors and disease history at the baseline. The severity of symptoms including headache, cough, and allergic symptoms, and subjective stress level were asked using a Likert scale on a weekly basis through a web survey tool. Exposure variables including particulate matter (PM), Carbon dioxide (CO2), and Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) were measured using a real-time monitor (Airguard K) on every minute. Regression analysis and a generalized additive model (GAM) will be used to estimate the relative risk for each subgroup.Results: Case and control group showed difference in building age, residence period (23.2 vs. 48.3 months, p < 0.001) and the housing size (55.0 vs. 81.8m2, p < 0.001). Nearly half (48% vs. 40%) of occupants responded they ventilate the house every day. A majority of occupants (64%) used kitchen ventilator while cooking. Hourly mean levels of PM10, PM2.5, CO2 and VOCs between November to February were significantly low in zero-energy building (p <0.001). Frequency of self-reported symptoms were not significantly different between two groups.Conclusions: The results of this study would contribute to finding physical housing conditions and occupants’ behaviors that are associated with occupants’ health and quality of life. It will also provide guidelines for the management of indoor air quality at home.

Contextual housing environment and mental health of asylum seekers – a multi-level analysis

Abstract Background Housing is an important determinant of health among asylum seekers and refugees (ASR). Little is known about the effects of contextual housing environment. We used state-wide reliable and valid data to examine these effects on ASR mental health. Methods We drew a balanced random sample of 58 shared refugee accommodation centers (SRA) from 1938 centres with 70,634 ASR in Germany's 3rd largest federal state. We measured depression (PHQ2) and anxiety (GAD2) using established instruments in nine languages. We assessed physical housing environment with a validated multi-dimensional Small-area Housing Environment Deterioration index (SHED). Linking survey- and SHED-data to GIS- and secondary data sources on accommodation size and remoteness, district urbanity and deprivation, we used multi-level logistic regression to calculate exposure effects and 95 % confidence intervals (CI), while adjusting for age, sex, relocations and chronic illness. Results Of 412 ASR living in 58 SRA, 45.0% of inhabitants and 35.7% of SRA were rated as having a high/very high degree of deterioration. The odds for reporting symptoms of generalized anxiety increased for the highest degree of deterioration (1.30; 0.37-4.55), large accommodation size (1.01; 1.00-1.03), remoteness (1.63; 0.61 - 4.36), district urbanity (1.67; 0.66-4.20) and deprivation (1.33; 0.60-2.92). The odds of depression symptoms increased in SRA with highest deterioration (1.98; 0.74-5.33) and accommodation remoteness (1.10; 0.48-2.52), decreased in SRA with district urbanity (0.63; 0.31-1.28) and district deprivation (0.66; 0.36-1.23) but not large accommodation size (1.00; 0.99-1.02). Conclusions Almost half of ASR are living in SRA with high/very high degree of deterioration. There is a general tendency of higher odds for mental illness symptoms conditional on housing environment. Future analyses with sample size calculations are needed to better understand these health associations for shared refugee accommodation. Key messages We described contextual housing environment, i.e. degree of deterioration, accommodation size, remoteness, urbanity and deprivation, of a balanced random sample of 58 shared refugee accommodations. In multi-level logistic regression, contextual housing environment tends to be associated with higher odds for reporting symptoms of mental illness.

Konut Fiyatlarının Mekânsal Kantil Regresyon Yaklaşımına Göre Modellenmesi: Denizli İli Örneği

The aim of the study is to examine the relationships between housing prices and characteristics by spatial quantile regression approach within the framework of hedonic price theory. In the period of May-June 2019, 3666 units of housing data for sale were obtained from the central districts for the Denizli housing market and it was aimed to provide information regarding the demand direction of the Denizli housing market. According to the estimation results of spatial quantile regression, the effects of structural, physical and locational housing characteristics on the housing prices change for the quantiles with the highest and lowest housing prices. One of the remarkable findings of the study is that an increment in the prices of neighboring houses for different segments of the distribution of housing asking prices increases the housing prices at different rates. The housing prices in neighbor locations most affect positively the housing prices at the bottom of 25th quartile. Consequently, determining the characteristics that increase and decrease the housing prices for different segments might implicitly provide information about the housing preferences of households with different income levels.

Testable Architecture Design for Programmable Cellular Automata on FPGA Using Run-Time Dynamically Reconfigurable Look-Up Tables

In this paper, we have achieved run-time dynamic reconfiguration by employing a category of logic cells equipped to realize programmability in Cellular Automata (CA) architectures on Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs). This is essential for real time VLSI implementations of random number generators, whose functionality requires reconfiguration during run-time, and are called Programmable CA (PCA). The logic cells realizing the PCA are amongst a subset of Look-Up Tables (LUTs) offered by Xilinx FPGAs, known as CFGLUT5. Programmability involves scanning out the contents of the truth-table (TT) originally configuring these LUTs and reconfiguring it with a modified functionality. This feature additionally aids testability which allows to carry out an equality check of the scanned output with a golden copy of the TT contents originally configuring the LUTs during design deployment. Vacant inputs in the LUTs realizing the PCA have been used to establish different scan path arrangements through flip-flops for exercising testability and fault localization further. The entire design flow resulted in a no logic overhead scenario compared to where scan paths did not exist. Any physical FPGA slice coordinate housing a faulty logic element, can be suitably bypassed for future implementations on the same FPGA by applying appropriate placement constraints.

Housing as a social determinant of health and wellbeing: developing an empirically-informed realist theoretical framework

BackgroundThe role of housing as a social determinant of health is well-established, but the causal pathways are poorly understood beyond the direct effects of physical housing defects. For low-income, vulnerable households there are particular challenges in creating a sense of home in a new tenancy which may have substantial effects on health and wellbeing. This study examines the role of these less tangible aspects of the housing experience for tenants in the social and private rented sectors in west central Scotland.MethodsThe paper analyses quantitative data from a mixed methods, longitudinal study of tenants from three housing organisations, collected across the first year of their tenancy. The paper postulates causal hypotheses on the basis of staff interviews and then uses a Realist Research approach to test and refine these into a theoretical framework for the connections between tenants’ broader experience of housing and their health and wellbeing.ResultsHousing service provision, tenants’ experience of property quality and aspects of neighbourhood are all demonstrated to be significantly correlated with measures of of health and wellbeing. Analysis of contextual factors provides additional detail within the theoretical framework, offering a basis for further empirical work.ConclusionsThe findings provide an empirically-informed realist theoretical framework for causal pathways connecting less tangible aspects of the housing experience to health and wellbeing. Applying this within housing policy and practice would facilitate a focus on housing as a public health intervention, with potential for significant impacts on the lives of low-income and vulnerable tenants. The framework also offers a basis for further research to refine our understanding of housing as a social determinant of health.

Measuring Well-Being: A Buen Vivir (Living Well) Indicator for Ecuador

Buen Vivir (Living Well in English) is a concept that breaks traditional paradigms. The central idea which underpins this philosophy is the balanced relationship between people and their community and natural surroundings. In other terms, it is based on enjoying human rights responsibly while respecting common goods within the context of a harmonious coexistence. The present study explores this idea to measure well-being in Ecuador, one of the countries where this concept was first introduced. The multidimensional nature of Buen Vivir involves a great deal of complexity when conducting analyses from a holistic perspective, which is the reason empirical studies on this issue are quite scarce. In the present work, an indicator is constructed by weighing different sub-indicators of well-being, such happiness and life satisfaction, trust and satisfaction with government and community, security, physical housing characteristics and environmental concern. For this purpose, individual data on the Ecuadorian population were analyzed in the period 2014–2016. The results reveal an average national indicator of 68 over 100, which could be considered relatively good. The highest levels are found in security, housing characteristics and happiness. This study also explores the heterogeneity among provinces, regions and urban/rural areas, and how Buen Vivir is related to individual characteristics. It shows that, rather than considering the well-being of people to be merely income-dependent, economic policies should take into account other aspects related to Buen Vivir, such as the protection of the environment and people’s traditional livelihoods.

Predictors of Satisfaction with Care Services among Family Members of Older Adult Residents of Long-Term Care Facilities.

This study identified predictors of satisfaction with care services among family members of older adults residing in long-term care facilities (LTCFs). In this cross-sectional descriptive study, the participants were 330 family members of older adult residents of LTCFs in Seoul, Gyeonggi, Gangwon, Gyeongbuk, and Chungnam, Korea. Data were collected from July to October 2018 using a structured self-report questionnaire. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, independent t-testing, one-way ANOVA, Kruskal–Wallis testing, Pearson’s correlation coefficients, and hierarchical multiple regressions. The most important predictors of satisfaction with care services were satisfaction with the physical housing environment (β = 0.49, p < 0.001), caregiving stress (β = −0.30, p < 0.001), the facility’s size (β = −0.13, p = 0.001), the number of visits to the facility (β = −0.10, p = 0.024), and the number of family members who participated in the decision to place the relative in a facility (β = 0.09, p = 0.033). This study is significant because it provides fundamental data for qualitatively improving care services in LTCFs. Based on the results, strategies should be developed to relieve caregiving stress among family members and improve satisfaction with the physical housing environment.

Residential vulnerability and the housing question: a social and spatial-oriented analysis for the Andalusia metropolitan areas

The mismatch between basic household needs and the conditions and characteristics of dwellings is at the centre of residential vulnerability. According to the guidelines established in the international and national level, this paper aims to apply a two-dimensional perspective in urban and housing research. Indeed, the concept of residential vulnerability is used to address, jointly, the areas and social groups at risk due to housing characteristics and conditions. By analysing 2011 Population and Housing Census data, three indicators were developed, linking physical housing conditions to relevant social dimensions. This integrated perspective is used to identify the size and range of residential vulnerability situations brought about by the physical characteristics of dwellings and how they link to relevant social dimensions in the Andalusia metropolitan system. Results revealed significant deficiencies in housing conditions, yielding different impacts by metropolitan area and social group. Although the reported problems did not affect a sizeable proportion of the population, they proved relevant given the severity of the issues addressed and the social groups involved. These shortcomings should constitute a priority for sustainable housing policies and urban plans.

Factors Influencing Income Inequality in Urban Ethiopia (Cross-sectional Analysis)

This studies focusing on investigating the source of inequality in urban part of Ethiopia. The study use descriptive analysis by using the raw data collected from central Stastical authority and use empirical investigation by employing Field’s (2003) regression based decomposition technique to establish the Influencing factor of inequality in urban Ethiopia. The main finding from descriptive analysis is household educational level, employment area of household, gender of the household head, age of the household head, and the household size has influencing factor to inequality. One of the main results of the study is the significant role that the educational level of the household head plays a greater role in income inequality of Ethiopia. This finding suggests that widening access to education is expected to reduce income inequality by increasing individual productivity and by facilitating the movement of poor persons from the low paying jobs of the rain fed agriculture, and from uncertain street vendor towards the well-paying jobs of the industrial and services sectors of the economy. From empirical analysis Age and household size is negatively affect the expenditure of the household, and it has a contribution for inequality of income to widen among the households. While Agesquare and tertiary education attainment of households are positively affecting the expenditure and narrowing the income variation among the households. age of the household head is also one of the positive contribute of income inequality it mean that as age increase the number of poor household increase so in order to mitigate this problem the government should increase the pension payment and transfer payment plus the government should provide service as he provide for younger household head in the form mobility fund. finally, the paper suggest that government should endeavour to design and implement different development programmes by providing physical infrastructure, housing, water and sanitation, energy, and social infrastructure such as roads, communications, telecommunications, schools, and hospitals, which can facilitate exchange of market information between rural and urban areas, which may in turn contribute to the modernization of the country and improvements in the well-being of urban.

A Residential Satisfaction Assessment of Public Rental Board Housing in the Greater Suva Urban Area, Fiji Islands

Residential satisfaction is an important measure of overall quality of life and determines how individuals respond to their housing environment. The study examines the level of tenants’ satisfaction with Public Rental Board (PRB) flats in the Greater Suva Urban Area (GSUA), Fiji. The objective of the study is to investigate the factors affecting the residential satisfaction of tenants of PRB rental flats using a survey instrument measuring tenants’ perceptive responses to the various facets of their housing environment. The study finds that PRB tenants have relatively higher satisfaction level for the building quality features and neighbourhood factors, whilst lower satisfaction level is recorded for the building physical design and housing management services. Physical building design features such as the size of bedrooms, dining areas, together with housing management features such as handling of tenant’s complaints, and treatment of tenants, have been rated by tenants to be below satisfactory levels. The factorial ANOVA on the survey data indicates that there are no statistically significant differences in residential satisfaction levels attributed to independent variables such as age, education level, and family type. However, residential satisfaction levels were statistically different among the six PRB estates examined in the study.

Environmental Consideration For Physical Housing Improvement In Bukit Kencana Jaya Semarang

So far, economic factors dominate the reasons for doing physical renovation activities of the houses. This means that the more stable the condition of the household economy, the physical improvement activities will be more likely to be conducted. This study investigates how the physical changes of the house are carried out at each stage of the family life cycle in Bukit Kencana Jaya Semarang. The four stages in family life cycle are single families, families without children, families with children and elderly families. Furthermore, this study also analyse what are the environmental considerations that influence the physical changes made. The method used is survey research, with the distribution of questionnaires to 60 respondents in 5 different types of houses. This research confirms that house physical change activities are household sustainability strategies to improve quality of life and achieve well-being. Proximity to environment facilities and location attachment to neighbourhood became the main environmental considerations findings. This research output supports the objective of Sustainable Development Goals number 3 about health and well- being, and Sustainable Development Goals number 11 on sustainable communities.

A Systematised Review of the Health Impact of Urban Informal Settlements and Implications for Upgrading Interventions in South Africa, a Rapidly Urbanising Middle-Income Country.

Informal settlements are becoming more entrenched within African cities as the urban population continues to grow. Characterised by poor housing conditions and inadequate services, informal settlements are associated with an increased risk of disease and ill-health. However, little is known about how informal settlement upgrading impacts health over time. A systematised literature review was conducted to explore existing evidence and knowledge gaps on the association between informal settlement characteristics and health and the impact of informal settlement upgrading on health, within South Africa, an upper-middle income African country. Using two databases, Web of Science and PubMed, we identified 46 relevant peer-reviewed articles published since 1998. Findings highlight a growing body of research investigating the ways in which complete physical, mental and social health are influenced by the physical housing structure, the psychosocial home environment and the features of the neighbourhood and community in the context of informal settlements. However, there is a paucity of longitudinal research investigating the temporal impact of informal settlement upgrading or housing improvements on health outcomes of these urban residents. Informal settlements pose health risks particularly to vulnerable populations such as children, the elderly, and people with suppressed immune systems, and are likely to aggravate gender-related inequalities. Due to the complex interaction between health and factors of the built environment, there is a need for further research utilising a systems approach to generate evidence that investigates the interlinked factors that longitudinally influence health in the context of informal settlement upgrading in rapidly growing cities worldwide.

GIS based evaluation of social determinants of children's health in Turkey: Case study of Istanbul

Basic elements considered as social determinants of the health varies in political, socio-economic, structural and intermediary contexts. While socio-economic and political contexts are directly related with the social, economic, public and health policies in country scale. The structural context additionally includes socio-economic dimensions such as income, education, occupation, social class, gender and race/ethnicity. In addition to these basic determinants, the public health, and especially the children health is also affected by the intermediary determinants, which are material circumstances including physical conditions of the working, housing and neighborhood environments and consumption potential (i.e. healthy foods, proper clothing etc.). Existing experiences provided that, the children who grow up on low socioeconomic conditions or on inappropriate environmental conditions including the residential structures tend to become more often ill than the children living in better environmental and socio-economic conditions. This situation reveals the importance of the city planning in terms of providing better conditions for children's health. This study aims to evaluate the social determinants of children's health by the use of Geographic Information System (GIS) technology. For this purpose, a variety of social determinants in terms of political (quality and quantity of health services), structural (education and social class) and intermediary (physical environment, housing, and neighborhood) contexts were examined in Bakırköy and Esenler districts, which are located European side of Istanbul. For this purpose, 2017 dated official dataset including census information and the statistics on the quality and the quantity of the education and health services in two districts were used for examining the political and structural determinants. The spatial characteristics of the physical environment and housing conditions in the study area were constructed from cadastral maps and development plans by use of GIS tools. As a last step, children's health data that consists of pediatric patient visits and diagnosis reports from 12 hospitals in Bakırköy and Esenler districts were also examined for understanding the potential relationships between the social determinants and existing health conditions. Results of this research revealed that the Bakırköy district has better conditions in terms of all health determinants when compared with Esenler district. Therefore, the health status of children living in Bakirköy is expected to be better than those living in the Esenler, which coincides with the evaluation of official children health data.

Environmental Challenges in the Home for Ageing Societies: a Comparison of Sweden and Japan.

Sweden and Japan are developed welfare countries facing serious societal and public health challenges due to demographic ageing. The objective of the present study was to provide a background to environmental challenges in the home, related to demographic ageing. Specific aims were to compare: 1) demography and household composition 2) physical housing stocks 3) indoor accidents and 4) housing adaptations between the two countries. Descriptive analyses were conducted using secondary data sources. Demographic ageing is projected to accelerate faster in Japan compared to Sweden, with overall lower fertility rates expected in Japan. In 2050, 39% of the Japanese population is projected to be aged 65years or older, compared to 23% of the Swedish population. The Swedish ordinary housing stock was markedly older than the Japanese housing stock, with almost 80% of the dwellings built before 1980, while in Japan about 65% were built after 1980. High occurrences of fatal indoor accidents were noted in both countries, but for different reasons. In Sweden, falls was the dominant cause of fatal accidents among older people, while in Japan, in addition to falls, drowning and suffocation caused most of the fatal accidents. Housing adaptations were less frequent in Japan compared to Sweden, and the procedure for evaluating, granting and carrying out housing adaptations appeared to be more complicated in Japan. To decrease the occurrence of indoor accidents, identifying and removing "risk barriers" could be instrumental. In both countries, large-scale efforts are imperative to improve the housing situation for the ageing population.

NORC 관점에서 본 서울시 노인밀집 아파트의 주거환경 실태조사 : 노원구와 강남구지역의 아파트를 중심으로

This study aims to examine the physical housing environment status from the perspective of NORC in apartment buildings selected as the potential naturally occurring retirement communities. A total of 22 apartment complexes were investigated on-site and photographed at the same time. The survey details are apartment complex size, unit size, floor plan type, housing price, location conditions, neighborhood facilities, universal design application, security, health-related facilities, and elderly-related facilities. The results of the study are as follows. Most of the apartment complexes were aged apartments with 20 years old, with an average area of 46-85 m2. Most of the location conditions were close to subway stations and public transportation stops. Health-related facilities such as walking trails, hiking trails, gardens and flower beds in the complex were well constructed, and a senior welfare center, day care center, and social welfare center were located near the complex. The characteristics of the physical environment that should be supplemented in order to convert the apartment complexes of senior citizens into a healthy environment were found to be the formation of a universal design environment in the complex, the securing of parking spaces, the creation of a pedestrian and bicycle road environment, and the readjustment of various company systems.

Evaluating the quality of living (QOL) of the households in Dandakaranya region, India: a well-being approach

This paper mainly deals with the pattern of Quality of Living (QOL) in terms of availability of various basic services and amenities in Dandakaranya region of India. To measure state of living in this region, a Composite Index (CI) was developed based on census data 2011. In order to assess clear cut scenario of district level regional disparity, different indices such as Human Capital Index (HCI), Financial Capital Index (FCI), Physical Capital Index (PCI) and Housing Index (HI) have been used and districts were categorized on the basis of Composite Score Value. The results of the research study show that there is a huge inter-state and inter-districts disparity in terms of basic services and amenities in Dankaranya region. The districts falling in Andrapradesh shows better conditions in terms of basic services and amenities as compared to the districts located in Chhatishgarh and Odisha respectively. In districts like Sukma (Chhatishgarh), Koraput (Odisha), Bijapur (Madhyapradesh), there are least availability of basic services and amenities. The study suggests that the backward districts need an urgent improvement in most of the indicators to enhance the better living condition of the households. This study may also assist the planners and policy makers to implement effective measures to upgrade quality of living.

Changes in Physical Health After Supported Housing: Results from the Collaborative Initiative to End Chronic Homelessness.

The permanent supported housing model is known to improve housing outcomes, but there has been sparse research on the effects of supported housing on physical health. Various organizations including the National Academy of Sciences have called for research in this area. This observational multi-site outcome study examined changes in physical health among chronically homeless adults participating in a comprehensive supported housing program and the associations between changes in physical health, housing status, and trust in primary care providers. Data are presented from an observational outcome study analyzed with mixed linear modeling and regression analyses. A total of 756 chronically homeless adults across 11 sites were assessed every 3months for 1year. The Collaborative Initiative to End Chronic Homelessness provided adults who were chronically homeless with permanent housing and supportive primary healthcare and mental health services. Days housed, physical health-related quality of life (HRQOL) measured by the Short Form-12 health survey, number of medical conditions, number of treated medical conditions, and number of preventive medical procedures received. Participants showed reduced number of medical problems and receipt of more preventive procedures over time, but there was no statistically significant change in physical HRQOL. Changes in housing were not significantly associated with changes in any physical health outcomes. Over time, participants' trust in primary care providers was positively associated with increased numbers of reported medical problems and preventive procedures received but not with physical HRQOL. Entry into supported housing with linked primary care services was not associated with improvements in physical HRQOL. Improvement in other medical outcome measures was not specifically associated with improved housing status.

The Physical Housing Environment and Subjective Well-Being Among Older People Using Long-Term Care Services in Japan

For older people using long-term care services, the conditions of their life-space may be critical. The relationships between the physical housing environment and aspects of health were examined among older people in Japan (aged 65+ years, N = 1,928) by multivariable logistic regression analysis, adjusting for sociodemographic characteristics. Lack of safety, low access to emergency assistance, low or high indoor temperature, poor sanitary conditions, and state of home disrepair were significantly associated with negative aspects of health among people with low activities of daily living (ADL) independence. Home care service providers and policymakers need to consider the importance of appropriate environmental conditions for the most vulnerable groups.

Planning in four areas of the Vila Viva Program in the city of Belo Horizonte, Brazil: a documentary analysis.

The Vila Viva Program (PVV), a social policy integrated by activities of urbanization, social development and land regularization of Belo Horizonte in Minas Gerais (BH), has its shares planned through the Specific Global Plan (PGE), instrument of local diagnosis and definition of interventions. The aim of the study was the analysis of PGE of four localities in BH occupied in a disorderly manner by low-income population. The PGE were submitted to documental analysis, consisting of preliminary analysis and documents and content analysis, with evaluation of theoretical dimensions: physical environment, social, housing, community and public facilities, which refer to the conceptual model of the Urban Health and Installment Law, Occupation and use of BH soil. All localities were similar in theoretical dimensions analyzed. The participation of the population was provided in all stages of PGE and the major claims in the four locations were: health environment, opening and street paving, expansion of public transport, improvement of health and education equipment and land regularization. The proposal planning of PGE line is consistent with the theoretical reference of Urban Health and, above all, with the inclusive and integrative character of the PVV.