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He Kainga Oranga/Community Housing and Health Intervention Research Programme

Year:
2012
Duration:
45 months
Approved budget:
$3,749,138.00
Researchers:
Professor Dr Philippa Howden-Chapman
Health issue:
Environmental health
Proposal type:
Programme Extension
Lay summary
Our Programme is focused on the social and economic determinants of inequalities in health and well-being, in particular housing and residential energy use. New Zealand's houses are cold and damp, with many injury hazards. We spend most of our time in our houses, so physical exposure to cold, high relative humidity and mould, as well as socio-cultural factors such as crowding, can have important impacts on respiratory, cardiac and infectious diseases. We have developed expertise in conducting solution-based, multidisciplinary community trials of structural housing interventions, with the active participation of local organisations, that primarily serve Maori and Pacific communities. We carry out quantitative and qualitative research, as well as cost-benefit analyses. We consider that translating the results of research into policy options is a critical, but often neglected, part of the research process.