Table 3.

Main findings from studies on housing affordability

Study, location	Study designa	Aim(s)	Main findings	Quality of study
Bentley et al.,46 Australia	L	To investigate the effect of housing affordability on mental health among people with low household income	This study was performed to evaluate the association between living in a house where the housing cost was more than 30% of household income and mental health. Data for the study were retrieved from an Australian National longitudinal survey. Mental health was measured using the self-completed Short Form SF36 measure. The authors found that entering unaffordable housing for individuals living in low-to-moderate income households was associated with a slight decrease in mental health score (mean change = −1.19, 96% CI = −1.97 to −0.41). There was no evidence for an association between mental health and affordable housing for higher income earners.	Moderate
Holtgrave et al.,42 USA	CUA of RCT study	Cost utility analysis of the impact of provision of immediate rental housing assistance to people living with HIV/AIDS	Cost Utility Analysis based on findings from a randomized controlled study to examine the impact of provision of immediate rental housing assistance to people living with HIV/AIDS (Housing and Health study described in Kidder, 2007). The cost per QALY saved by provision of rental housing assistance to homeless PLWHA was $62 493.	Moderate
Kidder et al.,43 USA	RCT	To assess the impact of provision of immediate rental housing assistance to people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) who were homeless	A total of 630 participants completed baseline assessment and were randomized to either receive immediate rental housing assistance (intervention) or assistance with finding housing according to standard practice (Control). Findings demonstrate that health status of homeless people was poorer than that of housed respondents. Homeless respondents were also more likely to have visited an emergency department, and to have been admitted to a hospital. The 40% of homeless respondents (compared to 26% of housed respondents) were more likely to have visited emergency department (P < 0.001, X2 = 32.2). Relative to 21% of housed respondents, 37% of homeless participants were more likely to have been admitted in the hospital in the past 12 months (P < 0.001, X2 = 42.3). Homeless respondents had lower CD4 counts, were less likely to adhere to anti-retroviral therapy.	Moderate
Leventhal et al.,44 USA	RCT	To examine the short-term effects of relocation from public housing in neighbourhood of high poverty to private housing in low-poverty areas on mental health	Parents who moved to areas of low- poverty reported significantly less distress than counterparts who remained in areas of high poverty. Young boys who relocated to areas of lower poverty also reported significantly fewer anxiety issues than mates in public housing. There was a 20% reduction in depressive symptoms among experimental parents than control parents (P < 0.001).	Moderate
Leventhal and Brooks-Gunn,45 USA	RCT	To investigate the impact of relocation from public housing in neighbourhood of high poverty to private housing in low-poverty areas on children’s achievement, grade retention, suspensions and expulsions	Data from Leventhal 2003 was examined to access whether moving from high poverty neighbourhoods to low-poverty areas was associated with low-income minority children’s achievement, grade retention, suspensions and expulsions. Findings show that moving to low-poverty neighbourhoods had positive effects on 11–18-year-old boys’ achievement scores compared with those of their peers in high-poverty neighbourhoods.	Moderate