Effect of improved housing on illness in children under 5 years old in northern Malawi: cross sectional study

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effects of a Habitat for Humanity housing improvement programme in northern Malawi on the prevalence of childhood illnesses. DESIGN: Household based cross sectional study. SETTING: Rural communities centred near the small northern Malawi town of Ekwendeni. SUBJECTS: 318 children under 5 years old. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Prevalence of respiratory, gastrointestinal, and malarial infections according to maternal recall, laboratory, or clinical data. RESULTS: Children living in improved homes were less likely to have respiratory, gastrointestinal, or malarial illnesses (odds ratio 0.56, 95% confidence interval 0.35 to 0.91) after confounding factors were controlled for. The reductions in individual diseases were not significant. CONCLUSION: Improved housing significantly reduced the burden of disease among children under 5 years old.