Perceived environmental housing quality and wellbeing of movers. Issue 10 (1st October 2001)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Kahlmeier, S; Schindler, C; Grize, L; Braun-Fahrländer, C
• Is Part Of: Journal of epidemiology and community health. Volume 55:Issue 10(2001)
• Page Start: 708
• Page End: 715
• Publication Date: 2001-10-01
• Subjects: self rated health -- housing quality -- environment; Public health -- Periodicals; Epidemiology -- Periodicals; 614.4
• DOI: 10.1136/jech.55.10.708
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0143-005X

Abstract

Abstract : STUDY OBJECTIVE: To examine whether changes in environmental housing quality influence the wellbeing of movers taking into account other dimensions of housing quality and sociodemographic factors. DESIGN: Cross sectional telephone survey. Associations between changes in satisfaction with 40 housing quality indicators (including environmental quality) and an improvement in self rated health (based on a standardised question) were analysed by multiple logistic regression adjusting for sociodemographic variables. Objective measures of wellbeing or environmental quality were not available. SETTING: North western region of Switzerland including the city of Basel. PARTICIPANTS: Random sample of 3870 subjects aged 18–70 who had moved in 1997, participation rate 55.7%. RESULTS: A gain in self rated health was most strongly predicted by an improved satisfaction with indicators related to the environmental housing quality measured as "location of building" (adjusted odds ratio (OR) =1.58, 95% confidence intervals (CI) =1.28, 1.96) and "perceived air quality" (OR=1.58, 95% CI=1.24, 2.01) and to the apartment itself, namely "suitability" (OR=1.77, 95% CI=1.41, 2.23), "relationship with neighbours" (OR=1.46, 95% CI=1.19, 1.80) and "noise from neighbours" (OR=1.32, 95% CI=1.07, 1.64). The destination of moving and the main reason to move modified some of the associations with environmental indicators. CONCLUSION: An improvement in perceived environmental housing quality was conducive to an increase in wellbeing of movers when other dimensions of housing quality and potential confounders were taken into account.