The HOME-Health (HOusing, environMEnt, and Health) Study; Description of a Danish natural experiment, designed as a longitudinal study with repeated measurements, providing internal- and external validity of the study

Environ Health Insights. 2023 Jul 12;17:11786302231181489. doi: 10.1177/11786302231181489. eCollection 2023.ABSTRACTBACKGROUND: The ambient and indoor environment are pivotal to our health. We spend most of our time indoors within our home, why our home is where we are most exposed to indoor pollutants and indoor air quality (IAQ). Populations within social housing areas are more vulnerable due to advanced age, co-morbidity and social economic status. Commonly, studies within social housing are cross-sectional, few Nordic longitudinal studies exist, and fewer studies combine quantitative and qualitative measurements in a mixed method approach.METHOD: This research proposal provides an extensive detailed description of the design and methodology of the HOME-Health study. The study is a longitudinal study and is a natural experiment employing structured surveys, objective measurements of indoor air parameters, lung function test and qualitative semi-structured interviews. Data collection are conducted seasonally (winter and summer), before and after building energy renovation (BER).GENERALISABILITY: The study population before BER (n = 432) was explored and found similar to the Danish social housing population in terms of age, gender, persons per apartment and migration status. Future analyses should be stratified by multi-family apartments and terraced houses.RESEARCH AIM: The aim of the HOME-Health study is to provide knowledge about residents' seasonal state of health, perce...
Source: Environmental Health Insights - Category: Environmental Health Authors: Source Type: research