Hopton JL, Hunt SM. Housing conditions and mental health in a disadvantaged area in Scotland.
J Epidemiol Community Health 1996;
50:56-61. [PMID:
8762355 PMCID:
PMC1060205 DOI:
10.1136/jech.50.1.56]
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Abstract
OBJECTIVE
To examine the mental health impact of different aspects of poor housing.
DESIGN
This was a post hoc analysis of data from a household interview survey.
SETTING
A public sector housing estate on the outskirts of Glasgow.
SUBJECTS
These comprised 114 men and 333 women aged between 17 and 65 from 451 households.
MEASURES
Dependent variable: scoring > or = 5 on the 30 item general health questionnaire (GHQ30).
INDEPENDENT VARIABLES
self reported data on household composition, whether ill health was a factor in the move to the current dwelling, length of time at address, household income, whether the respondent was employed, chronic illness, and 6 problems with the dwelling.
RESULTS
Reporting a problem with dampness was significantly and independently associated with scores of > or = 5 on the GHQ30 after controlling for possible confounding variables.
CONCLUSION
Initiatives to tackle housing dampness may be important in developing a strategy to improve mental health for the study area. More research on the mental health impact of different aspects of poor housing is required.
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