SynthesisJournal of public health (Oxford, England)2019
The relationship between buildings and health: a systematic review.
Synthesis in Journal of public health (Oxford, England), 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 45 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
45 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Assessing housing exposures and interventions that impact healthy cities: a systematic overview of reviews.Perspectives in public health · 2025Pooled it
- The Relationship Between Physical Housing Characteristics, Housing Accessibility and Different Aspects of Health Among Community-Dwelling Older People: A Systematic Review.Journal of aging and health · 2024Pooled it
- Examining the effectiveness of place-based interventions to improve public health and reduce health inequalities: an umbrella review.BMC public health · 2021Pooled it
- What is the impact of salutogenic design elements on human well-being in microhousing? A systematic review protocol.BMJ open · 2026Article
- The geography of risk: understanding disparities in nonmedical opioid mortality and the role of socio-built environments in New Jersey.Harm reduction journal · 2026Article
- Article
- Current status and time trends in the burden of environmental heat and cold exposure among the population aged 60 years and older: an analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021.BMC public health · 2025Article
- Energy Burden and Chronic Kidney Disease: A National Study in the United States.Environment & health (Washington, D.C.) · 2025Article
- How can health be further integrated in urban development policymaking in the United Kingdom? A systems mapping approach.Health research policy and systems · 2025Article
- Exploring influences of health and wellbeing in Sydney's apartment living: A qualitative study of residents' perceptions.PloS one · 2025Article
- Short-termism in urban development: The commercial determinants of planetary health.Earth system governance · 2024Article
- The effect of dwelling size on the mental health and quality of life of female caregivers living in informal tiny homes in Hong Kong.BMC public health · 2024Article
- Local government interventions for improving the health and wellbeing of tenants in private rented housing: developing initial program theory to inform evaluation in the United Kingdom.BMC public health · 2024Article
- Review
- The Interplay between Dyslipidemia and Neighboring Developments in Coronary Artery Disease Progression: A Personalized Approach.Journal of personalized medicine · 2024Article
- The impacts of housing conditions on physical and mental health - A mini-review informed by a rapid conversion of evidence from Alidoust and Huang (2021).Frontiers in environmental health · 2024Article
- Article
- The equity implications of an expanded health and wellbeing role for housing associations.Public health in practice (Oxford, England) · 2023Article
- Housing tenure and disability in the UK: trends and projections 2004-2030.Frontiers in public health · 2023Article
- Developing and testing an environmental economics approach to the valuation and application of urban health externalities.Frontiers in public health · 2023Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
8 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundThe built environment exerts one of the strongest directly measurable effects on physical and mental health, yet the evidence base underpinning the design of healthy urban planning is not fully developed.
methodThis study provides a systematic review of quantitative studies assessing the impact of buildings on health. In total, 7127 studies were identified from a structured search of eight databases combined with manual searching for grey literature. Only quantitative studies conducted between January 2000 and November 2016 were eligible for inclusion. Studies were assessed using the quality assessment tool for quantitative studies.
resultsIn total, 39 studies were included in this review. Findings showed consistently that housing refurbishment and modifications, provision of adequate heating, improvements to ventilation and water supply were associated with improved respiratory outcomes, quality of life and mental health. Prioritization of housing for vulnerable groups led to improved wellbeing. However, the quality of the underpinning evidence and lack of methodological rigour in most of the studies makes it difficult to draw causal links.
conclusionThis review identified evidence to demonstrate the strong association between certain features of housing and wellbeing such as adequate heating and ventilation. Our findings highlight the need for strengthening of the evidence base in order for meaningful conclusions to be drawn.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.