ArticleBMC public health2025
Bed bug infestations: prevalence, correlates, and cross-sectional association with psychological symptoms in a large sample of tenants in Montreal, Canada.
Article in BMC public health, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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Abstract
backgroundThe resurgence of bed bugs is a major challenge to public health and housing authorities and is a social justice issue. Bed bugs are environmentally communicable, cause ill health, and decrease quality of life. Bed bug infestations are socially patterned, disproportionately affecting people facing vulnerability; they are more prevalent in high-density multi-unit housing environments. While bed bugs can cause cutaneous and allergic reactions along with other health reactions, the biggest health impacts of bed bugs appear to be psychological. To contribute to the limited number of studies documenting the prevalence of exposure to bed bugs and mental health impacts in general populations, this study reports on the prevalence of exposure to bed bugs in a large sample of tenants and measures the association between bed bug exposure and psychological symptoms.
methodsThis cross-sectional study set in Montreal, Canada, uses data on 5,000 tenants aged ≥ 18 years from the 2017 Montreal Housing Survey. Exposure to bed bugs in the year preceding the interview was self-reported by tenants. The 2-item Generalized Anxiety Disorder scale and the 2-item Patient Health Questionnaire-2 were used to measure anxiety and depression, respectively. Association between exposure to bed bugs and psychosocial symptoms was assessed using logistic regression adjusted for sociodemographic characteristics and housing conditions.
resultsFour percent of tenants reported being exposed to bed bugs in the year preceding the survey. In unweighted analysis, the odds of anxiety (OR: 1.72; 95%CI: 1.12, 2.64), depression (OR: 1.83; 95%CI: 1.20, 2.78), and anxiety and/or depression (OR: 1.69; 95%CI: 1.16, 2.44) were significantly higher for those exposed to bed bugs, independently of the sociodemographic characteristics and housing conditions of the survey respondents. In weighted analysis, the effect sizes were reduced. Exposure to bed bugs was marginally (p = 0.087) associated with higher odds of reporting anxiety and/or depression (OR: 1.53; 95%CI: 0.94, 2.50).
conclusionsFindings reinforce the significant social inequalities in exposure to bed bugs and contribute to growing evidence that bed bug exposure is a risk factor for psychological symptoms. Coordinated, intersectoral actions that are attentive to social justice issues are needed to monitor and control bed bug infestations.
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