HOUSING AND

INSTITUTIONAL HEALTH
 Outline

 Definition
 Health Aspects of Housing
 Fundamental Requirements of Healthful
Housing

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 Definition
 Housing/Residential Environment
 Is the physical structure that man uses for
shelter and the environs of that structure
including all necessary services, facilities,
equipment and devices needed or desired
for the physical and mental health and
social well-being of the family and individual
 This will include the residential building, the
immediate surrounding, the neighborhood,
and the community. (WHO Expert Committee in
the Public Health aspect of Housing, 1961) 3
 Definition . . .

 Standard housing
It is a house that is properly planed and
constructed, comfortable, safe to live in and fulfill
the basic housing necessities.
In other words, it is comfortable dwelling that
satisfies the definition of housing
 Sub-standard housing
It is a house that is poorly sited, planned,
constructed, maintained, and doesn’t in general
comply with the more important sanitary facilities
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 Dwellings having four or more of the following
basic deficiencies are considered to be an extreme
slum:
1. Provided with inadequate and contaminated water supply
2. Lack of toilets or space to construct an excreta disposal
facility outside of the structure
3. Lack of bathing facility inside or outside the structure
4. Greater than 1.5 persons per habitable room
5. Overcrowding of sleeping rooms (less than 3.6 m2.) of
sleeping area per person)
6. Lack of dual egress (doors for emergency exits)
7. Lack of installed electricity
8. Rooms lacking windows for light and ventilation

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 Definition . . .

 Blighted housing: is the building where

housing conditions are starting to deteriorate
 Slum area
- is a substandard house with unsanitary buildings,
poverty, and social disorganization (crime, juvenile
delinquency, drug abuse, alcoholism, thefts)
- A slum area is also called shanty towns or squatter
settlements
- Most often a slum house lacks: toilet and bathing
facilities, adequate and safe water supply, adequate
light and heat, ventilation, adequate space for
sleeping
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 Health Aspects Of Housing
 Poor housing condition may be pre-
disposing factor for:

• Communicable disease
- There is no specific disease for which poor
housing is a known and single cause

- However, there is perceived real association

between poor health status and living in sub-
standard house
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- Mortality due to communicable disease is 65%
higher among residents of poor housing
compared to those who live in healthful
housing

- The prevalence of intestinal disease is 100%

higher in population living in homes that lack
private latrine

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 Health Aspects of . . .

• Social importance (Respect)

• Heat discomfort, Home accidents
• Dampness: damp stains, visible mould and
condensation e.g. Asthma, Rheumatism
• Adverse effect on mental well being: as in the
case of using a single room for cooking, living and
sleeping

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 Health Aspects of . . .

- Literatures show that some of the symptoms

of mental health such as stress, irritability,
depression, social misconduct and alteration
of attention capacities at schools in children
may be related to bad housing conditions
• Noise pollution, Indoor air pollution

• Traffic hazard: is due to inadequate off- street

parking practices
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 Basic Requirements Of Healthful
Housing
Physiological needs
Psychological needs
Protection againest communicable diseases
Protection againest fire and accidents

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 Basic Requirements Of Healthful
Housing
1. Satisfy fundamental physiological needs
•Protection against heat /cold: lack of adequate heating

and cooling systems in homes can contribute to

respiratory illnesses or even lead to death from extreme
temperatures
Provision of an atmosphere of reasonable chemical
purity free of chemical substances, dust particles,
smoke, microorganisms and particulate matters.
•Provision of adequate illumination/lighting

Sources: Artificial and natural

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 Basic Requirements . . .

- Natural lighting: using windows

- window area of from 1/8 to 1/10 of the floor

area and 45- 50% of that area openable

- Artificial: from Electrical source

• Protection against excessive noise and radiation

- 50 dB for day time and
- 30 dB for night time noise level for residential
environment is enforced in USA
• Provision of adequate space for exercise and for
the play of children
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 Basic Requirements . . .

2. Satisfy fundamental psychological needs

-Provision of adequate privacy for the individuals

(everyone would have their own rooms excepting

married couples and small children)
-Health full housing should include sufficient bed

rooms and bathrooms

-Crowding can lead to poor school performance in

children)

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 Basic Requirements . . .

- Provision of possibilities for aesthetic

satisfaction in the home and its surroundings
(plants, Flower, green grass)

- Concordance with prevailing standards of the

local community

- Residents should be secured from robbers, wild

animals and other conditions which can cause
scary situations
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 Basic Requirements . . .

3. Protection against communicable diseases

•Water supply and waste management

- Provision of safe and adequate water supply to the

dwelling and proper waste management
•Overcrowding
-Many health problems affecting the poorer group

are associated with overcrowding; include household

accidents, air born infection, acute respiratory tract
infection, pneumonia, and tuberculosis
-
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 Basic Requirements . . .

- The environment in and around human dwelling

offers an important habitat for a wide range of
disease vectors which are highly involved in the
disease transmission
-

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4. Protection against fire and accidents
Injuries
-Materials and method of construction of the

building structure should minimize danger of

accidents due to collapse of any part of the
structure
-Control of conditions likely to cause fire or to

promote its spread

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- Provision of adequate facilities for escape in case
of fire and emergency
- Protection against falls and other mechanical
injuries in the home
- Household accidents, including burns and scalds,
are very common in overcrowded condition.
Injuries from falls are common in substandard
housing

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 Basic Requirements . . .

 Crowding index:
- used to define the relative availability of space

in terms of floor area, indoor air volume and

number of rooms
According to UN crowding index defined:
In terms of number of persons per habitable
room:
- 1 person per room as under crowded

- > 2 person/ room as crowded

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 Basic Requirements . . .

In terms of floor area:

-< 25 m2 severely crowded

-25 - 49.5 m2 as adequately crowded

 50 m2 as under crowded

In terms of indoor air volume

-< 79 m3 severely crowded

-79.0-184 m3 as adequately crowded

->185 m3 as under crowded

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 Basic Requirements . . .

Based on available literature review the

desegregated housing rooms minimum use space
requirements may range:
•a living (salon) room 3-5 m2/capita,

•bed room(s) at 5-6 m2/capita with a unit

minimum room area of 8-12 m2,
•a kitchen> 7 m2, a store 5 m2, a toilet 1 m2, and

bath room with WC 3-4 m2 or shower 1 m2

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 SCHOOL AND PRISON HEALTH
Reading assignment

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