Recent studies have found that childhood housing insecurity leads to poorer long-term health.
Housing insecurity is on the rise as housing costs rise, homelessness increases and the supply of decent housing declines globally.
Recent Research A study published in the journal Pediatrics found that housing insecurity affects teenagers’ well-being.
Teens who experienced some degree of housing insecurity during childhood were found to be more likely to experience negative health outcomes.
This study The future of families and the well-being of children The (FFCWB) study followed children from age 1 through adolescence.
The study investigated whether there is a link between long-term housing insecurity and teen health.
Housing insecurity was defined based on several factors, including difficulty paying rent or mortgage, overcrowding from sharing housing with other families, the threat of eviction, and spending time in non-residential locations such as cars or abandoned buildings.
To understand the impact of these conditions on children’s health, the researchers measured symptoms of depression and anxiety and self-reported overall health (SRH).
The study enrolled approximately 5,000 participants at birth across 20 U.S. cities.
The study found that children who experienced any level of housing insecurity at some point in their lives had poorer overall health and mental health than those who had more stable housing environments.
Adolescents with the highest housing insecurity reported more anxiety and depressive symptoms.
The housing crisis is a major concern worldwide.
“The world is facing a situation where more and more people are unable to pay for housing,” said Balakrishnan Rajagopal, the UN special rapporteur on the right to adequate housing. statement last year.
“Millions of people lack the economic means to access safe, secure and habitable housing,” he added.
In the 2014 report, McKinsey Global Institute It predicts that at least 1.6 billion people will be affected by a global housing shortage by 2025.
This shortage and Soaring housing prices The rising housing costs reported in the wake of the pandemic may force many people to choose crowded, inadequate and unsafe housing, putting many young people at risk of poor health.
“Housing insecurity can be prevented and addressed through policy and public health interventions,” the study authors wrote.
“Future efforts are needed to validate universal responses to housing insecurity and implement procedures for screening and referring families with young children to appropriate services.”