Dataset Information

Health effects of housing improvement: systematic review of intervention studies.

ABSTRACT:

Objective

To review the evidence on the effects of interventions to improve housing on health.

Design

Systematic review of experimental and non-experimental housing intervention studies that measured quantitative health outcomes.

Data sources

Studies dating from 1887, in any language or format, identified from clinical, social science, and grey literature databases, personal collections, expert consultation, and reference lists.

Main outcome measures

Socioeconomic change and health, illness, and social measures.

Results

18 completed primary intervention studies were identified. 11 studies were prospective, of which six had control groups. Three of the seven retrospective studies used a control group. The interventions included rehousing, refurbishment, and energy efficiency measures. Many studies showed health gains after the intervention, but the small study populations and lack of controlling for confounders limit the generalisability of these findings.

Conclusions

The lack of evidence linking housing and health may be attributable to pragmatic difficulties with housing studies as well as the political climate in the United Kingdom. A holistic approach is needed that recognises the multifactorial and complex nature of poor housing and deprivation. Large scale studies that investigate the wider social context of housing interventions are required.

SUBMITTER: Thomson H

PROVIDER: S-EPMC35268 | biostudies-literature | 2001 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

ACCESS DATA

Publications

Health effects of housing improvement: systematic review of intervention studies.

Thomson H H Petticrew M M Morrison D D

BMJ (Clinical research ed.) 20010701 7306

<h4>Objective</h4>To review the evidence on the effects of interventions to improve housing on health.<h4>Design</h4>Systematic review of experimental and non-experimental housing intervention studies that measured quantitative health outcomes.<h4>Data sources</h4>Studies dating from 1887, in any language or format, identified from clinical, social science, and grey literature databases, personal collections, expert consultation, and reference lists.<h4>Main outcome measures</h4>Socioeconomic ch ...[more]

PMID: 11473906

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Project description:Background: Exercise has been shown to alter brain plasticity and is explored as a therapeutic intervention in a wide variety of neurological diseases. Electroencephalography (EEG) offers an inexpensive method of studying brain electrocortical activity shortly after exercise and thus offers a way of exploring the influence of exercise on the brain. We conducted a systematic review to summarize the current body of evidence regarding methods of EEG analysis and the reported effects of exercise interventions on EEG. Methods: PubMed, Web of Science and EMBASE were searched for studies investigating resting state EEG in exercise intervention studies carried out in participants >17 years of age and with no history of epilepsy. Further, studies solely investigating event-related potentials as an outcome measure were excluded. Relevant data were extracted, and a risk-of-bias assessment was carried out using the Cochrane risk-of-bias tool. A qualitative synthesis of results was carried out. A protocol for the systematic review was uploaded to https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/ (ID: CRD42019134570) and the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews (PRISMA) statement was followed. Results: Out of 1,993 records screened, 54 studies were included in a final qualitative synthesis with a total of 1,445 participants. Our synthesis showed that studies were mainly carried out using frequency analysis as an analytical method. Generally, findings across studies were inconsistent and few were adjusted for multiple comparisons. Studies were mainly of low quality and usually carried out in small populations, lowering the significance of results reported. Conclusions: Changes in the EEG as a result of an exercise intervention are elusive and difficult to replicate. Future studies should provide biologically sound hypotheses underlying assumptions, include larger populations and use standardized EEG methods to increase replicability. EEG remains an interesting methodology to examine the effects of exercise on the brain.

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Dataset Information

Health effects of housing improvement: systematic review of intervention studies.

Objective

Design

Data sources

Main outcome measures

Results

Conclusions

Publications

Health effects of housing improvement: systematic review of intervention studies.

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