Environmental burden of disease from unsafe and substandard housing, New Zealand, 2010–2017
Open accessAbstract
OBJECTIVE: To assess the burden of disease related to unsafe and substandard housing conditions in New Zealand from 2010 to 2017. METHODS: We focused on substandard housing conditions most relevant for New Zealand homes: crowding, cold, damp or mould, and injury hazards linked to falls. We estimated the population attributable fraction using existing estimates of the population exposed and exposure-response relationships of health disorders associated with each housing condition. We used government hospitalization data, no-fault accident insurance claims and mortality data to estimate the annual disease burden from the most severe cases, as well as the resulting costs to the public sector in New Zealand dollars (NZ$). Using value of a statistical life measures, we estimated the indirect cost of deaths. FINDINGS: We estimated that illnesses attributable to household crowding accounted for 806 nights in hospital annually; cold homes for 1834 hospital nights; and dampness and mould for 36 649 hospital nights. Home injury hazards resulted in 115 555 annual accident claims. We estimated that direct public sector costs attributable to these housing conditions were approximately NZ$ 141 million (100 million United States dollars, US$) annually. We also estimated a total of 229 deaths annually attributable to adverse housing and the costs to society from these deaths at around NZ$ 1 billion (US$ 715 million). CONCLUSION: Of the conditions assessed in this study, damp and mouldy housing accounted for a substantial proportion of the burden of disease in New Zealand. Improving people's living conditions could substantially reduce total hospitalization costs and potentially improve quality of life.
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Cold houses increase damp and mold, which accounts for a substantial proportion of the burden of respiratory disease.
“Cold houses increase damp and mold, which accounts for a substantial proportion of the burden of respiratory disease (138).”
From Review of the Impact of Housing Quality on Inequalities in Health and Well-Being (2023) · cites this paper as [138]
In New Zealand, a burden-of-disease study estimated that the indirect cost of deaths and direct public-sector costs attributable to crowding, cold, damp, mold, and injury hazards linked to falls were approximately NZ$141 (US$91) million annually, and a total of 229 deaths annually could also be attributable to adverse housing.
“Using measures of the value of a statistical life, the estimated indirect cost of deaths and direct public-sector costs attributable to these housing conditions were approximately NZ$141 (US$91) million annually, and a total of 229 deaths annually could also be attributable to adverse housing.”
From Review of the Impact of Housing Quality on Inequalities in Health and Well-Being (2023) · cites this paper as [138]
The costs to society from these deaths were around NZ$1 billion (US$646 million).
“The costs to society from these deaths were around NZ$1 billion (US$646 million).”
From Review of the Impact of Housing Quality on Inequalities in Health and Well-Being (2023) · cites this paper as [138]
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Review of the Impact of Housing Quality on Inequalities in Health and Well-Being
Howden-Chapman, P., Bennett, J., Edwards, R., Jacobs, D., Nathan, K., & Ormandy, D. (2023) · Annual Review of Public Health · doi:10.1146/annurev-publhealth-071521-111836 · Cited by 153 · see citing works
Self-citation
- Authors
- Riggs, L., Keall, M., Howden-Chapman, P., & Baker, M. G.
- Affiliations
- Motu Economic and Public Policy Research (NZ)
- University of Otago (NZ)
- Department of Public Health, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand.
- Corresponding author
- Riggs, Lynn
- Venue
- Bulletin of the World Health Organization
- Publisher
- WHO Press
- Published
- 2021-02-01
- Volume
- 99
- Issue
- 4
- Pages
- 259-270
- ISSN
- 0042-9686 (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC8085632
- OpenAlex
- W3144985497
- Cited by
- 36
- References
- 18
- Citations by year
- 2026: 3 · 2025: 8 · 2024: 9 · 2023: 12 · 2022: 4
- FWCI
- 2.48
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- diamond
- doi.org
- Licence
- cc-by
- Locations
- Bulletin of the World Health Organization (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- Accident Compensation Corporation
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis › Indoor Air Quality and Microbial Exposure
- Social Sciences › Urban Studies › Urban and Rural Development Challenges
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Pollution › Energy and Environment Impacts
- Keywords
- substandard housing, disease burden, household crowding, cold homes, falls, population attributable fraction, hospital costs, public sector costs, value of a statistical life, New Zealand
- MeSH terms
- Crowding, Family Characteristics, Housing, Humans, New Zealand, Quality of Life, United States, Cost of Illness
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