Costs and outcomes of improving population health through better social housing: a cohort study and economic analysis

Objectives We sought to determine the impact of warmthrelated housing improvements on the health, well-being, and quality of life of families living in social housing.
Methods An historical cohort study design was used. Households were recruited by Gentoo, a social housing contractor in North East England. Recruited households were asked to complete a quality of life, well-being, and health service use questionnaire before receiving housing improvements (new energy-efficient boiler and doubleglazing) and again 12 months afterwards.
Results Data were collected from 228 households. The average intervention cost was £3725. At 12-month postintervention, a 16% reduction (-£94.79) in household 6-month health service use was found. Statistically significant
positive improvements were observed in main tenant and household health status (p\0.001; p = 0.009, respectively), main tenant satisfaction with financial situation (p = 0.020), number of rooms left unheated per household (p\0.001), frequency of household outpatient appointments (p = 0.001), and accident/emergency department attendance (p\0.012).
Conclusions Warmth-related housing improvements may be a cost-effective means of improving the health of social housing tenants and reducing health service expenditure, particularly in older populations.