Practitioners’ Messages

● More than one million children live in housing in England that it considered sub-standard or unfit to live in.

● On the whole, the research indicates that there is an association between homes with visible damp or mould and the prevalence of asthma or respiratory problems among children.

● Dampness and mould has also been found to be associated with exacerbated symptoms among children with asthma or wheezing illness.

● Poor quality housing can have an adverse effect on children’s psychological well-being.

● Parents and children both complain of the social stigma of living in bad housing.

● Overcrowding and cooking with gas may cause respiratory infections in pre-term infants.

● Interventions such as installing or improving heating systems have been found to be effective in alleviating the potentially adverse effects of damp on the health on children.