Housing conditions and the health and wellbeing impacts of climate change: A scoping review

Housing conditions are emerging as an important consideration in climate change adaptation. Housing modifications have the potential to improve health outcomes by reducing exposure to changing weather conditions and extreme events. This scoping review aimed to explore the existing evidence examining the contribution of housing conditions to the impacts of climate change on health and identify any research gaps. Literature searches were conducted in Scopus and PubMed from January 2013 to September 2023 and data were analysed using thematic analysis. The review included 38 articles consisting of original studies, reviews, and reports, with broad geographical coverage. The most common focus among included articles was on heat-health impacts; housing conditions found to improve heat-health health outcomes included air conditioning, ventilation, and window shading, and there was support for multifaceted housing adaptations rather than single fixes. Ventilation was found to be a priority for improving indoor air quality, while inappropriate insulation and excessive air tightness were found to increase indoor heat and reduce indoor air quality. The scoping review reveals a need for more empirical and qualitative research into indoor heat in homes, climate change hazards other than heat, and intervention studies to inform climate change adaptation policies around housing and improve public health outcomes.