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Lookup NU author(s): Dr Michelle TanORCiD, Eugenie Johnson, Claire EastaughORCiD, Fiona Beyer, Professor Dawn CraigORCiD, Dr Gemma Frances SpiersORCiD, Professor Barbara HanrattyORCiD
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0).
© The Author(s) 2024. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Public Health Association. Background: Cold homes are associated with an increased risk of adverse health outcomes for older people. To mitigate this risk, homes need to be heated to an appropriate temperature. This review aims to identify interventions designed to improve heating and temperatures within homes and summarize its impact on health, health service utilization and cost effectiveness. Methods: A rapid review was conducted. Studies assessing the effects of structural, financial, or behavioural interventions designed to improve home temperatures of residents aged 18þ years were eligible. Searches were carried out in four databases. A search for grey literature, and backward and forward citation searching were performed. Data were summarized in a narrative synthesis and mapped using EPPI-Reviewer and EPPI-Mapper software. Results: Eighteen studies reported across 19 publications were included. Structural interventions were associated with better mental health and quality of life, a reduction in health service utilization, and improvements in satisfaction with internal home temperature, social interactions and financial difficulties. The impact on physical health outcomes varied by age, gender and long-term conditions. Evidence about the impact of behavioural interventions was inconsistent. Conclusion: Structural improvements to increase home temperatures may offer the potential to improve some aspects of health. However, the impact on physical health, including which groups are most likely to benefit, is unclear. Key gaps include the lack of evidence about the impact of financial interventions, and the impact of all types of interventions, on quality of life, mortality and costs.
Author(s): Green KL, Tan MMC, Johnson EE, Ahmed N, Eastaugh C, Beyer F, Craig D, Spiers GF, Hanratty B
Publication type: Article
Publication status: Published
Journal: European Journal of Public Health
Year: 2024
Volume: 34
Issue: 4
Pages: 682-695
Print publication date: 01/08/2024
Online publication date: 08/04/2024
Acceptance date: 02/04/2024
Date deposited: 12/08/2024
ISSN (print): 1101-1262
ISSN (electronic): 1464-360X
Publisher: Oxford University Press
URL: https://doi.org/10.1093/eurpub/ckae058
DOI: 10.1093/eurpub/ckae058
Data Access Statement: The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.
PubMed id: 38587096
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