Health equity
Slum environments are neighbourhoods characterized by structurally deficient or unsafe housing. Most slums are overcrowded, lack of access to appropriate utilities, such as safe drinking-water and sanitation, and are subject to insecure tenure. Slums are also more likely to be sited in areas with other environmental risks, such as flood-plains, mountainsides prone to mudslides, or in the vicinity of waste dumps or heavy industry. All of these factors exacerbate housing-related health risks including: infectious diseases, noncommunicable diseases, violence and injury, and mental health issues.
Children living in slums are more at risk of diarrhoeal disease, due to their exposure to contaminated water and improper sanitation. Crowding also exacerbates risks of airborne disease transmission, particularly of tuberculosis. Thermal conditions also illustrate the social dimension of housing and health. Poorer households are less able to afford heating costs or retrofit their homes to ensure well-insulated and maintained dwellings. Furthermore, the elderly are the most at risk of mortality associated with extreme heat or cold.
Insufficient housing quality is associated with stress and mental health impacts. Crowding, pollution, noise, inadequate lighting, lack of green spaces access, and other environmental factors associated with slums can exacerbate mental health disorders, including depression, anxiety, violence and other forms of social dysfunction.
Home injuries can be an outcome of poor housing conditions, although global statistics on domestic injuries are lacking. Domestic environments are linked to the majority of childhood burns, falls, drowning, and poisonings, according to a WHO study in 4 low-income countries. Poor household design and maintenance is a major contributor to domestic injury. Home injuries can be an outcome of poor housing conditions, although global statistics on domestic injuries are lacking. Domestic environments are linked to the majority of childhood burns, falls, drowning, and poisonings, according to a WHO study in 4 low-income countries. Poor household design and maintenance is a major contributor to domestic injury. Access to structurally sound dwellings, safe drinking water, improved sanitation, and affordable, secure energy can promote health equity, particularly in poorer households. Cleaner and more efficient home cooking, heating, and lighting systems can yield the largest health benefits to the poorest and most vulnerable sectors of society, including children, women and the elderly in the poorest socio-economic sectors of developing countries and emerging economies. Better urban planning overall can reduce macro-energy costs of housing developments, while improving access to securely-sited, safely-constructed homes with utility and transport services, as well as green spaces for physical activity and positive social interaction. These in turn can help prevent illnesses that disproportionately affect the poor.
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