SynthesisInternational journal of environmental research and public health2019
A Systematised Review of the Health Impact of Urban Informal Settlements and Implications for Upgrading Interventions in South Africa, a Rapidly Urbanising Middle-Income Country.
Synthesis in International journal of environmental research and public health, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 38 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
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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.
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Who cites it
38 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Assessing housing exposures and interventions that impact healthy cities: a systematic overview of reviews.Perspectives in public health · 2025Pooled it
- Pilot cluster randomised controlled trial of Stepping Stones and Creating Futures Plus to reduce emotional dysregulation among young men in rural areas and urban informal settlements in KwaZulu-Natal Province, South Africa.The International journal of social psychiatry · 2025Trial
- Cluster randomized controlled trial of Stepping Stones and Creating Futures to reduce mental health challenges among young men in informal settlements in KwaZulu-Natal Province, South Africa.The International journal of social psychiatry · 2023Trial
- Trial
- Rural health inequalities in perceived HIV vulnerability and nutritional status: a cross-comparison of rural communities in West and Southern Africa.BMC public health · 2026Article
- Article
- Impact of housing price increases on depression and stress in urban Iran: a case study from district 18 of Tehran.International journal of mental health systems · 2026Article
- Health-promoting housing policy in a changing climate: integrating affordability, security, and resilience.Health promotion international · 2026Review
- Clinical factors associated with severe maternal outcomes in two South African hospitals: A case-control study.PloS one · 2026Article
- When income buffers extreme weather: Impacts on women's mental health in informal settlements.PLOS climate · 2026Article
- Article
- Urbanization and Health Inequity in Sub-Saharan Africa: Examining Public Health and Environmental Crises in Douala, Cameroon.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2025Article
- Lung life HRQoL measure: psychometric properties and initial data in presumptive TB.IJTLD open · 2025Article
- Article
- Who participates in 'participatory design' of WASH infrastructure: A mixed-methods process evaluation.PLOS global public health · 2025Article
- Acute Respiratory Tract Infections in Pediatric Populations of Slum Areas: Navigating Challenges and Dynamics of Immune Responses.Current pediatric reviews · 2025Review
- Article
- Strategies for Cost-Effectiveness in Sustainable Quality Healthcare Delivery in Emerging Economies: The Case of Healthcare Professionals Development in South Africa.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Article
- Cognitive Health Costs of Poor Housing for Women: Exploring Executive Function and Housing Stress in Urban Slums in India.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2024Article
- To What Extent Are Informal Healthcare Providers in Slums Linked to the Formal Health System in Providing Services in Sub-Sahara Africa? A 12-Year Scoping Review.Journal of urban health : bulletin of the New York Academy of Medicine · 2024Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
2 authors.
Funding
Abstract
Informal settlements are becoming more entrenched within African cities as the urban population continues to grow. Characterised by poor housing conditions and inadequate services, informal settlements are associated with an increased risk of disease and ill-health. However, little is known about how informal settlement upgrading impacts health over time. A systematised literature review was conducted to explore existing evidence and knowledge gaps on the association between informal settlement characteristics and health and the impact of informal settlement upgrading on health, within South Africa, an upper-middle income African country. Using two databases, Web of Science and PubMed, we identified 46 relevant peer-reviewed articles published since 1998. Findings highlight a growing body of research investigating the ways in which complete physical, mental and social health are influenced by the physical housing structure, the psychosocial home environment and the features of the neighbourhood and community in the context of informal settlements. However, there is a paucity of longitudinal research investigating the temporal impact of informal settlement upgrading or housing improvements on health outcomes of these urban residents. Informal settlements pose health risks particularly to vulnerable populations such as children, the elderly, and people with suppressed immune systems, and are likely to aggravate gender-related inequalities. Due to the complex interaction between health and factors of the built environment, there is a need for further research utilising a systems approach to generate evidence that investigates the interlinked factors that longitudinally influence health in the context of informal settlement upgrading in rapidly growing cities worldwide.
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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.