Exploring tuberculosis by types of housing development

Inadequate housing and pulmonary tuberculosis: a systematic review

Background

Tuberculosis (TB) is a global health issue that has long threatened and continues to threaten human health. While previous studies are important in the search for a cure for TB, to eradicate the disease it is also crucial to analyze environmental influences. Therefore, this study determined the potential effect of inadequate housing on TB and the magnitude of the effect.

Methods

This is a systematic review of the effects of inadequate housing on TB. Between Jan 1, 2011 and Oct 25, 2020, we searched four electronic databases using the search terms “housing AND tuberculosis” or “housing AND TB”. The target population comprised residents of inadequate housing and the homeless.

Results

We found 26 eligible studies. The distribution of the studies across continents was uneven, and the housing issues of interest seemed to vary depending on the economic level of the country. The eight steps identified in TB development and the consequences thereof were more strongly associated with housing affordability than with housing quality.

Conclusions

This is the first systematic review to identify the effects of inadequate housing on TB and to categorize inadequate-housing-related exposure to TB in terms of affordability and quality. The steps identified in TB development and the consequences thereof had a greater association with housing affordability than with housing quality. Therefore, public health interventions regarding housing affordability could be more diverse, and interventions that support affordable housing for residents of inadequate housing and the homeless should proceed simultaneously to improve housing quality.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12889-022-12879-6.

An exploration of factors characterising unusual spatial clusters of COVID-19 cases in the East Midlands region, UK: A geospatial analysis of ambulance 999 data

Complex interactions between physical landscapes and social factors increase vulnerability to emerging infections and their sequelae. Relative vulnerability to severe illness and/or death (VSID) depends on risk and extent of exposure to a virus and underlying health susceptibility. Identifying vulnerable communities and the regions they inhabit in real time is essential for effective rapid response to a new pandemic, such as COVID-19. In the period between first confirmed cases and the introduction of widespread community testing, ambulance records of suspected severe illness from COVID-19 could be used to identify vulnerable communities and regions and rapidly appraise factors that may explain VSID. We analyse the spatial distribution of more than 10,000 suspected severe COVID-19 cases using records of provisional diagnoses made by trained paramedics attending medical emergencies. We identify 13 clusters of severe illness likely related to COVID-19 occurring in the East Midlands of the UK and present an in-depth analysis of those clusters, including urban and rural dynamics, the physical characteristics of landscapes, and socio-economic conditions. Our findings suggest that the dynamics of VSID vary depending on wider geographic location. Vulnerable communities and regions occur in more deprived urban centres as well as more affluent peri-urban and rural areas. This methodology could contribute to the development of a rapid national response to support vulnerable communities during emerging pandemics in real time to save lives.

Predictors of smear non-conversion among new-treatment pulmonary tuberculosis: a single center case-control study in Indonesia

BACKGROUND Previous studies concluded predictors of smear non-conversion pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) globally as well as in Indonesia. However, there is a limited data in hospital setting. This study aimed to explore predictors of smear non-conversion pulmonary TB in hospital setting. METHODS A case-control study was conducted to explore predictors of smear nonconversion among new-treatment pulmonary TB in Dr. Kariadi General Hospital from 2017 to 2019. Number of cases and controls have been determined consecutively. Data were collected from secondary data accessed in medical records and directly from subjects. Non-conversion status in the case group was defined as a persistent sputum smear-positive after 2 months of intensive phase of treatment. The subjects’ characteristics i.e., age, sex, BMI, education level, occupational status, and predictors of smear non-conversion, i.e., patient’s compliance, smoking status, alcohol consumption, presence of drugs side effects, health care access, first acid-fast bacilli (AFB) smear grading, diabetes mellitus (DM), housing condition, housing density, and household income were observed. Chi-square test and binary logistic regression were used. RESULTS 35 subjects were determined in the case group while 76 subjects were the control group and involved in the final analysis. Age, sex, first AFB smear grading, smoking status, housing condition, housing density, and DM were involved in the model of logistic regression. DM (OR = 3.4; 95% CI = 1.19–10.00) and first AFB smear grading (OR = 11.2; 95% CI = 3.86–33.00) were concluded as the predictors of smear nonconversion. CONCLUSIONS DM and first AFB smear grading were the predictors of smear nonconversion among new-treatment pulmonary TB subjects.

Neighbourhood effects on body constitution-A case study of Hong Kong

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) has long perceived environment as an integral part of the development of body constitution, which is a personal state of health closely related to disease presence. Despite of the ever-growing studies on the clinical effectiveness of TCM and the scientific linking between body constitution and diseases, the geographical influence on body constitution has yet remained an unexplored territory. This study sought to investigate whether the neighbourhood environment is relevant to the composition of body type of a population through statistical multilevel and Geographic Information Systems modelling. The analysis comprised 3277 participants who had completed their body type assessment between 2009 and 2012 inclusive. The multilevel analysis also took simultaneous accounts of both individual-level (gender, age, BMI, type of housing) and area-level (percent greenery, percent road surface, total road intersection, sky view factor, temperature, relative humidity, rainfall and social deprivation index) characteristics to explain geographical variation by body types. Significant random or place effects (p < 0.001) were identified in the multilevel models. The spatial variation of body constitution involved the dynamic interplay between individual and environmental factors. The findings amassed the first scientific indications to back the common belief that place does play a role in the development of body constitution and is worthy of further investigation. By considering spatial and personal attributes simultaneously, the study can yield valuable insights into the patterning of area variation in body constitution and disease presence.