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Cornwall Housing and Health

An Evidence-Based Practice

Description

The Department of Public Health Medicine in the county of Cornwall (United Kingdom) conducted a pilot study on the effect of installing central heating in previously unheated and damp houses with children exhibiting asthma symptoms. Homes received one of the following improvements: gas central heating, electric storage heaters, solid fuel central heating, or oil-fired central heating.

Goal / Mission

The goal of this study was to reduce pediatric asthma-related symptoms by installing central heating in homes.

Impact

Central heating successfully improves home heating, dampness, and energy efficiency. Through home modifications, asthma-related symptoms (nocturnal cough and days lost from school) can be reduced among children.

Results / Accomplishments

Central heating installations not only improved heat and reduced dampness in the common areas of the home, but also in over three-quarters of the children's bedrooms. A significant decrease in asthma-related symptoms including cough by day and night and wheeze by day and night was observed following housing improvements (p<0.001). There was also a significant decrease in days lost from school in the last 3 months before and after installation of central heating (p<0.001). Additionally, central heating significantly improved energy efficiency as measured by the National Home Energy Rating scale (p<0.001).

About this Promising Practice

Organization(s)
Department of Public Health and Medicine Cornwall UK
Primary Contact
Margaret Somerville
Changeworks

Inverness Office
Fairways House
Fairways Business Park
Inverness
IV2 6AA
United Kingdom

Edinburgh Office
36 Newhaven Road
Edinburgh
EH6 5PY
United Kingdom
0131 555 4010
ask@changeworks.org.uk
http://www.changeworks.org.uk/about-us/meet-the-te...
Topics
Health / Children's Health
Health / Respiratory Diseases
Environmental Health / Energy & Sustainability
Organization(s)
Department of Public Health and Medicine Cornwall UK
Source
Public Health
Date of publication
Nov 2000
For more details
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11114752
Target Audience
Children

Related Promising Practices

  1. Asthma: School-Based Self-Management Interventions for Children and Adolescents with Asthma
  2. CDC COMMUNITY GUIDE: Asthma Control: Home-Based Multi-Trigger, Multicomponent Environmental Interventions
  3. Asthma Basics for Children (ABC)

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Related Content for: Cornwall Housing and Health

An Evidence-Based Practice meets the following HCI criteria:

  1. The program description includes at a minimum: the sponsoring organization, program goals, program implementation steps, and outcomes that have demonstrated program success in achieving the program goal in one or more localities.
  2. The results from an evaluation of the program include quantitative measures showing improvement in the outcome(s) of interest after the implementation of the program (i.e. increase in smoking cessation, not just the delivery of a smoking cessation program). The outcome measure(s) is/are compared at relevant time periods before and after the intervention or program implementation. Alternatively, the evaluation study compares the outcome(s) between an intervention group and an appropriate control group.
  3. The study is of peer-review quality and presents numbers in a scientific manner; measurements of precision and reliability are included (e.g. confidence intervals, standard errors), results from statistical tests show a significant difference or change in the outcome measure(s), and relevant point estimates and p-values are presented. Note: if the results from an evaluation of a program are presented in a scientific manner and the outcome measure is improved compared to the baseline measurement or the control group but the difference is not statistically significant, the practice is classified as effective and not evidence-based.
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