Retrofitting houses with insulation to reduce health inequalities: a clustered, randomised trial in community settings." Social Science and Medicine.
Abstract Housing is one of the key determinants of health, but it has been a relatively neglected area for interventions targeting health. There has been very little research that has shown housing interventions are effective in improving health as housing interventions are complex and resource intensive. This study examined the health consequences of insulating New Zealand homes with a standard intervention package delivered by specially trained community retrofit teams in partnership with local organisations. The package was provided through a Government funded retrofit programme carried out by community groups throughout the country. Nearly fourteen hundred households in seven communities participated. Baseline measures of temperature and fuel use, and health care utilisation were collected during the winter months of 2001. Households were then randomised and those in th