A COMMUNITY-BASED PARTICIPATORY SURVEY OF PUBLIC HOUSING CONDITIONS AND ASSOCIATIONS BETWEEN RENOVATIONS AND POSSIBLE BUILDING RELATED SYMPTOMS

This paper reports on analyses of survey data from two public housing developments in Boston, Massachusetts (USA) that house low-income inner-city residents. The two developments differ in that one has had substantial renovations to walls, roofs, piping, heating and water systems while the other has not. In 2002, we collected 238 surveys from the two developments combined, using a questionnaire that recorded self-reports of housing conditions (pest infestation, water leaks, etc), chronic health conditions and symptoms in the preceding month. Because heating and domestic water system replacement at the renovated development occurred between the 2002 survey and a pilot survey we conducted in 1998, we were also able to assess changes in the responses over time. Crude and adjusted odds ratios (ORs) showed that residents reported worse environmental conditions at the unrenovated development. Only the crude OR for skin rashes was statistically significant and only the adjusted ORs for ear infection, skin rashes and sneezing exceeded 2.0. The longitudinal component of the study also showed changes in environmental factors after renovation, but the evidence was more mixed with both negative and positive trends. Only the crude OR for sneezing was statistically significant and only the adjusted ORs for nosebleeds, sneezing and burning/itching eyes exceeded 2.0. In conclusion, our analysis supports the contention that renovations improve housing conditions and that this may be associated with health improvements, but further research is needed to firmly document any