Section 6: Inequalities and COVID-19

We know that exposure to poor quality housing is associated with certain health outcomes, for example, damp housing can lead to respiratory diseases such as asthma while overcrowding can result in higher infection rates and increased risk of injury from household accidents.  

Housing also impacts health inequalities materially through costs and psychosocially through insecurity. Lower socio-economic groups have a higher exposure to poor quality or unaffordable, insecure housing and therefore have a higher rate of negative health consequences. These inequalities in housing conditions may also contribute to inequalities in COVID-19. For example, deprived neighbourhoods are more likely to contain houses of multiple occupation and smaller houses with a lack of outside space, as well as have higher population densities and lower access to communal green space. (The COVID-19 Pandemic and health inequalities. 2020: jech2020-214401 - Bambra C, Riordan R, Ford J, Matthews F. (opens new window))