Lighting in the Home and Health: A Systematic Review

Impact of lighting environment on human performance and prediction modeling of personal visual comfort in enclosed cabins

Enclosed cabins are of great significance in various fields, including national defense, scientific research, and industrial applications. It is important to clarify the impact of the lighting environment in these cabins on the people operating within them. This study investigated the effects of the lighting environment in enclosed cabins on the physiological, operational, and comfort performance of operators through simulated experiments. In Addition, using the Random Forest Algorithm and ExpandNet technique, we developed a prediction model to evaluate the comfort level of the lighting environment for personnel in enclosed cabins. The results indicated that pupil diameter exhibited the highest sensitivity to ambient light. The appropriate luminance combination of the screen and the ambient scene have a positive effect on human performance. In particular, it was observed that the average cognitive performance and comfort of participants tended to be relatively high in the luminance combinations 13, 14, and 15 at CCT 5500 K. The screen luminance of these combinations are all 284.75 cd/m2. Although no statistically significant relationship was found between the cognitive performance of the participants and their comfort, the comfort of the participants tended to decrease after the cognitive operations was completed. According to the proposed personal comfort prediction model, the visual comfort of different people varies even under the same lighting conditions. This study provides a solid theoretical basis for improving the design of lighting environments in enclosed spaces and contributes to developing a pleasant and productive working environment within limited cabins.

The importance of residential dusk and dawn light exposure for sleep quality, health, and well-being

Light exposure during twilight plays a critical role in the entrainment of the human circadian system. People are most often at home during dusk and dawn, and light exposure at home - either natural or from electric light - may therefore contribute substantially to sleep and well-being. However, very little research has focused on the effects of home lighting on sleep and well-being, and even less research has investigated the effects of light exposure during twilight. Therefore, a literature study was performed to collect studies on light exposure at home during dusk and dawn. Studies looking at light exposure during dusk and dawn have focused on either electric light intervention (i.e., dusk and dawn simulation) at home or in the laboratory or daylight exposure in the bedroom (i.e., the presence and type of curtains in the bedroom). Most research has focused on dawn simulation during the darker months of the year, often using sunrise alarms. In general, study results pointed to the importance of twilight light exposure at home for sleep and well-being. These results may depend on the characteristics of the user, such as age or chronotype.

Architectural Allostatic Overloading: Exploring a Connection between Architectural Form and Allostatic Overloading

This paper examines, conceptually, the relationship between stress-inducing architectural features and allostatic overload by drawing on literature from neuroimmunology and neuroarchitecture. The studies reviewed from the field of neuroimmunology indicate that chronic or repeated exposure to stress-inducing events may overwhelm the body's regulatory system, resulting in a process termed allostatic overload. While there is evidence from the field of neuroarchitecture that short-term exposure to particular architectural features produce acute stress responses, there is yet to be a study on the relationship between stress-inducing architectural features and allostatic load. This paper considers how to design such a study by reviewing the two primary methods used to measure allostatic overload: biomarkers and clinimetrics. Of particular interest is the observation that the clinical biomarkers used to measure stress in neuroarchitectural studies differ substantially from those used to measure allostatic load. Therefore, the paper concludes that while the observed stress responses to particular architectural forms may indicate allostatic activity, further research is needed to determine whether these stress responses are leading to allostatic overload. Consequently, a discrete longitudinal public health study is advised, one which engages the clinical biomarkers indicative of allostatic activity and incorporates contextual data using a clinimetric approach.

Integrating Health into Local Plans: A Comparative Review of Health Requirements for Urban Development in Seven Local Planning Authorities in England

A local plan is a statutory policy document that supports urban development decisions across a local government area in England. Local plans are reported to need more specific requirements for development proposals regarding wider health determinants to address potential health outcomes and health inequalities. This study reviews the integration of Health in Local Plans of seven local planning authorities through documentary analysis methods. A review framework was formulated based on health and planning literature regarding local plans, health policy and determinants of health and dialogue with a local government partner. The findings identify opportunities to strengthen the consideration of Health in Local Plans, including ensuring that policies are informed by local health priorities and signpost national guidance, strengthening health-related requirements for developers (e.g., indoor air quality, fuel poverty and security of tenure) and improving implementation of requirements for developers (e.g., through adoption of health management plans and community ownership). The study identifies further research needs regarding how policies are interpreted by developers in practice, and on national guidance for Health Impact Assessment. It highlights the benefit of undertaking a comparative review, contrasting local plan policy language and identifying opportunities to share, adapt and strengthen planning requirements regarding health outcomes.

Human-Centric Lighting: Rare-Earth-Free Photoluminescent Materials for Correlated Color Temperature Tunable White LEDs

Artificial lighting is ubiquitous in modern society, with detrimental effects on sleep and health. The reason for this is that light is responsible not only for vision but also for non-visual functions, such as the regulation of the circadian system. To avoid circadian disruption, artificial lighting should be dynamic, changing throughout the day in a manner comparable to natural light in terms of both light intensity and associated color temperature. This is one of the main goals of human-centric lighting. Regarding the type of materials, the majority of white light-emitting diodes (WLEDs) make use of rare-earth photoluminescent materials; therefore, WLED development is at serious risk due to the explosive growth in demand for these materials and a monopoly on sources of supply. Photoluminescent organic compounds are a considerable and promising alternative. In this article, we present several WLEDs that were manufactured using a blue LED chip as the excitation source and two photoluminescent organic dyes (Coumarin 6 and Nile Red) embedded in flexible layers, which function as spectral converters in a multilayer remote phosphor arrangement. The correlated color temperature (CCT) values range from 2975 K to 6261 K, while light quality is preserved with chromatic reproduction index (CRI) values superior to 80. Our findings illustrate for the first time the enormous potential of organic materials for supporting human-centric lighting.

Health Implications of Virtual Architecture: An Interdisciplinary Exploration of the Transferability of Findings from Neuroarchitecture

Virtual architecture has been increasingly relied on to evaluate the health impacts of physical architecture. In this health research, exposure to virtual architecture has been used as a proxy for exposure to physical architecture. Despite the growing body of research on the health implications of physical architecture, there is a paucity of research examining the long-term health impacts of prolonged exposure to virtual architecture. In response, this paper considers: what can proxy studies, which use virtual architecture to assess the physiological response to physical architecture, tell us about the impact of extended exposure to virtual architecture on human health? The paper goes on to suggest that the applicability of these findings to virtual architecture may be limited by certain confounding variables when virtual architecture is experienced for a prolonged period of time. This paper explores the potential impact of two of these confounding variables: multisensory integration and gravitational perception. This paper advises that these confounding variables are unique to extended virtual architecture exposure and may not be captured by proxy studies that aim to capture the impact of physical architecture on human health through acute exposure to virtual architecture. While proxy studies may be suitable for measuring some aspects of the impact of both physical and virtual architecture on human health, this paper argues that they may be insufficient to fully capture the unintended consequences of extended exposure to virtual architecture on human health. Therefore, in the face of the increasing use of virtual architectural environments, the author calls for the establishment of a subfield of neuroarchitectural health research that empirically examines the physiological impacts of extended exposure to virtual architecture in its own right.

Iot application for energy poverty detection based on thermal comfort monitoring

The development of a datalogger for identifying Energy Poverty (EP) using thermal comfort monitoring is described in this work. There is not a uniform definition of EP, and no global recommendations indicating the thermal comfort characteristics that should be utilized to identify EP. Most Internet of Things (IoT)-based systems designed for EP identification measure energy consumptions (electricity and gas). There is a lack of works that use IoT-based systems to identify EP through the monitoring of thermal comfort parameters. To address the deficiencies discovered in the identification of EP from the perspective of thermal efficiency, an IoT-based monitoring system was designed, developed, and tested. A first pilot was installed in a household in Getafe. A full month of temperature, relative humidity, and CO₂ concentration measurements were utilized to evaluate the system, which was then compared to a commercial system. The results revealed that the new IoT-based approach was very dependable and may be used to accurately monitor EP-related parameters.

Long wavelength light reduces the negative consequences of dim light at night

Many patients with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) show disturbances in their sleep/wake cycles, and they may be particularly vulnerable to the impact of circadian disruptors. We have previously shown that a 2-weeks exposure to dim light at night (DLaN) disrupts diurnal rhythms, increases repetitive behaviors and reduces social interactions in contactin-associated protein-like 2 knock out (Cntnap2 KO) mice. The deleterious effects of DLaN may be mediated by intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cells (ipRGCs) expressing the photopigment melanopsin, which is maximally sensitive to blue light (480 nm). In this study, the usage of a light-emitting diode array enabled us to shift the spectral properties of the DLaN while keeping the intensity of the illumination at 10 lx. First, we confirmed that the short-wavelength enriched lighting produced strong acute suppression of locomotor activity (masking), robust light-induced phase shifts, and cFos expression in the suprachiasmatic nucleus in wild-type (WT) mice, while the long-wavelength enriched lighting evoked much weaker responses. Opn4DTA mice, lacking the melanopsin expressing ipRGCs, were resistant to DLaN effects. Importantly, shifting the DLaN stimulus to longer wavelengths mitigated the negative impact on the activity rhythms and 'autistic' behaviors (i.e. reciprocal social interactions, repetitive grooming) in the Cntnap2 KO as well as in WT mice. The short-, but not the long-wavelength enriched, DLaN triggered cFos expression in in the basolateral amygdala (BLA) as well as in the peri-habenula region raising that possibility that these cell populations may mediate the effects. Broadly, our findings are consistent with the recommendation that spectral properties of light at night should be considered to optimize health in neurotypical as well as vulnerable populations.

Are We Ready to Implement Circadian Hygiene Interventions and Programs?

Circadian hygiene, a concept not to be confused with the notion of public or social hygiene, should be discussed among experts and society. Light-dark cycles and other possible synchronizers of the human circadian timing system affect ways of life, including sleeping, eating, working and physical activity. Some of these behaviors have also been investigated individually as synchronizers (e.g., eating times). Therefore, the knowledge held today about circadian rhythms, and their implications for health, allows future perspectives in this field to be mapped. The present article summarizes the latest knowledge on factors influencing circadian rhythms to discuss a perspective for the future of health promotion based on circadian hygiene. However, it is important to highlight that circadian hygiene is the product of an imbrication of individual and societal involvement. First, it is important to adopt practices and devise public health policies in line with circadian hygiene. Second, individual healthy habits require internal rhythms to be examined. Last, the research agenda on circadian hygiene can be developed on a public as well as individual level, raising the question as to how much society is willing to embrace this change.

Association of outdoor artificial light at night with mental health among China adults: a prospective ecology study

Multiple environmental changes are related to mental disorders. However, research on the association between artificial light at night (ALAN) and mental health in China is limited, particularly at the national level. We used a "difference-in-differences" design and logistic regression to explore the relationship between ALAN changes and scores on self-assessed mental health. Participants were drawn from the China Family Panel Studies of adults in 2012 and 2018. The final analysis was based on 21,036 adults from 25 provinces throughout China. The brighter the ALAN, the worse was the mental health, and this connection was unaffected by particulate matter 2.5 (PM_2.5) or temperature. ALAN sensitivity may differ among populations. Our findings suggest that exposure to brighter ALAN is associated significantly with worse mental health among Chinese adults. Environmental policies that reduce ALAN could improve the mental health of the Chinese public.

Pharmacist Intervention in Portuguese Older Adult Care

Healthy ageing has become one of the most significant challenges in a society with an increasing life expectancy. Older adults have a greater prevalence of chronic disease, with the need for multiple medications to appropriately control these issues. In addition to their health concerns, ageing individuals are prone to loneliness, dependence, and economic issues, which may affect their quality of life. Governments and health professionals worldwide have developed various strategies to promote active and healthy ageing to improve the quality of life of older adults. Pharmacists are highly qualified health professionals, easily accessible to the population, thus playing a pivotal role in medication management. Their proximity to the patient puts them in a unique position to provide education and training to improve therapeutic adherence and identify medication-related problems. This paper aims to address the importance of Portuguese community pharmacists in the medication management of older adults, emphasising their intervention in health promotion, patient education, medication-related problems, deprescription, dose administration aids, and medication review and reconciliation. We also discuss home delivery services and medication management in long-term care facilities.

Improving Visual Comfort and Health through the Design of a Local Shading Device

As people develop higher standards for the beauty of urban architecture, more and more architectural designs are exploring sources of natural lighting, such as glass curtain walls and glass domes. However, the pursuit of architectural design aesthetics introduces glare into buildings, which can be uncomfortable and even dangerous for health. Scholars in related fields have carried out many theoretical studies and design activities based on this problem. In this study, we focus on issues of glare in public buildings, aiming to improve light comfort by solving this problem. First, we propose an improved design strategy based on IDEO design thinking by adding the step of diverging from the design scheme. Second, guided by the results of a questionnaire survey and light environment simulations, we avoided the subjective simplicity of the traditional design process. Third, taking the main library of Shanghai Jiao Tong University as an example, we designed a movable sunshade that could effectively reduce glare effects and improve visual comfort, which improved the light comfort in public buildings. The simulation results show that the proposed design can be useful in buildings to effectively control glare and improve visual comfort and health.

Effect of Housing Quality on the Mental Health of University Students during the COVID-19 Lockdown

COVID-19 outbreak imposed rapid and severe public policies that consistently impacted the lifestyle habits and mental health of the general population. Despite vaccination, lockdown restrictions are still considered as potential measures to contrast COVID-19 variants spread in several countries. Recent studies have highlighted the impacts of lockdowns on the population's mental health; however, the role of the indoor housing environment where people spent most of their time has rarely been considered. Data from 8177 undergraduate and graduate students were collected in a large, cross-sectional, web-based survey, submitted to a university in Northern Italy during the first lockdown period from 1 April to 1 May 2020. Logistic regression analysis showed significant associations between moderate and severe depression symptomatology (PHQ-9 scores ≥ 15), and houses with both poor indoor quality and small dimensions (OR = 4.132), either medium dimensions (OR = 3.249) or big dimensions (OR = 3.522). It was also found that, regardless of housing size, poor indoor quality is significantly associated with moderate-severe depressive symptomatology. Further studies are encouraged to explore the long-term impact of built environment parameter modifications on mental health, and therefore support housing and public health policies.

The Interplay between Housing Environmental Attributes and Design Exposures and Psychoneuroimmunology Profile-An Exploratory Review and Analysis Paper in the Cancer Survivors' Mental Health Morbidity Context

Adult cancer survivors have an increased prevalence of mental health comorbidities and other adverse late-effects interdependent with mental illness outcomes compared with the general population. Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) heralds an era of renewed call for actions to identify sustainable modalities to facilitate the constructs of cancer survivorship care and health care delivery through physiological supportive domestic spaces. Building on the concept of therapeutic architecture, psychoneuroimmunology (PNI) indicators-with the central role in low-grade systemic inflammation-are associated with major psychiatric disorders and late effects of post-cancer treatment. Immune disturbances might mediate the effects of environmental determinants on behaviour and mental disorders. Whilst attention is paid to the non-objective measurements for examining the home environmental domains and mental health outcomes, little is gathered about the multidimensional effects on physiological responses. This exploratory review presents a first analysis of how addressing the PNI outcomes serves as a catalyst for therapeutic housing research. We argue the crucial component of housing in supporting the sustainable primary care and public health-based cancer survivorship care model, particularly in the psychopathology context. Ultimately, we illustrate a series of interventions aiming at how housing environmental attributes can trigger PNI profile changes and discuss the potential implications in the non-pharmacological treatment of cancer survivors and patients with mental morbidities.

Exploring Intraindividual Profiles for Home Buildings Based on Architectural Compositional Elements and Psychological Health Factors: A Transdisciplinary Approach

Based on the transactional and salutogenic perspectives, we explored individual profiles that integrate psychosocial factors and compositional elements of the built home environment. Adults with different socio-demographic characteristics completed several self-report measures on psychological factors (personality traits, self-efficacy, mental health, and happiness) and architectural elements constituting the ideal home environment. Adopting an individual-centered perspective, three distinct intra-individual psycho-architectural (person-environment) profiles were found with different compositional preferences and psychosocial characteristics in terms of functioning, health, and well-being: endopathic (characterized by higher levels of psychosocial resources and well-being indicating a highly adapted and successful profile, and architectural preferences corresponding to their identities and experiences—expression through spaces), assimilative (characterized by average levels in all regulatory parameters indicating moderately adaptive individuals, and architectural preferences of spaces created in interactive processes—introjection of spaces), and additive individuals (characterized by a comparatively dysfunctional, poorer psychosocial profile, and architectural preferences in line with provoking a restorative effect—change with spaces). An awareness of the psychosocial features of the users for whom the homes are built can help in designing spaces to inhabit that are adapted to them for an enhancement of their overall well-being. Therefore, a better understanding of the interconnections between psychology and architecture will help in designing healthy spaces.

Standardizing Melanopic Effects of Ocular Light for Ecological Lighting Design of Nonresidential Buildings—An Overview of Current Legislation and Accompanying Scientific Studies

DIN SPEC 5031-100 and CIE S 026:2018 are regulatory frameworks that are intended to establish health-preserving indoor lighting in Europe. Therefore, they are crucial for the visual environment and its sustainability. The standards are largely congruent. Inconsistencies should now be harmonized with the newly published draft standard DIN/TS 5031-100, for which the objection period ended on 3 June 2020; thus, it can be expected that the standard will soon be put into operation. This publication provides the reader with a detailed technical as well as medical overview of the scope and background information on how the standard came about. Applicable laws, ordinances and standards were compiled across countries, and related studies were reviewed. It is demonstrated that the focus of this new standard, as with previous versions, is on the melanopic sensitivity of ganglion cells. The authors base this on a literature search for projects about ecological lighting design over the past 20 years. However, in practice, the publication of the standard does not yet completely counteract the health effects of inappropriate indoor lighting.