Table 1.
Housing features measured during the home assessments included in the RHI or the DMI, with proportion of cases and controls found with each feature and corresponding ORs relative to no evidence
| Housing feature evaluated | RHI* | DMI* | Cases n (%) |
Controls n (%) |
Crude OR (95% CI) |
| N=188 | N=454 | ||||
| Mould | |||||
| Any mould on walls/ceiling | ✓ | ✓ | 147 (78) | 310 (68) | 1.67 (1.12 to 2.48) |
| Any mould on joists | ✓ | ✓ | 23 (12) | 25 (6) | 2.39 (1.32 to 4.33) |
| Musty smell | ✓ | ✓ | 30 (16) | 46 (10) | 1.68 (1.03 to 2.76) |
| Dampness | |||||
| Feels quite damp | ✓ | ✓ | 47 (25) | 95 (21) | 1.51 (0.99 to 2.30) |
| Feels very damp | ✓ (2) | ✓ (2) | 49 (26) | 78 (17) | 1.92 (1.25 to 2.94) |
| Water leaks | |||||
| Minor leaks | ✓ | ✓ | 17 (9) | 30 (7) | 1.42 (0.76 to 2.65) |
| Major leaks | ✓ (2) | ✓ (2) | 11 (6) | 22 (5) | 1.26 (0.60 to 2.65) |
| Ponding of water under house | ✓ | ✓ | 12 (6) | 23 (5) | 1.28 (0.62 to 2.62) |
| Unflued gas heater in any room | ✓ | 11 (6) | 42 (9) | 0.61 (0.31 to 1.21) | |
| Insulation† | |||||
| No floor insulation | ✓ | 44 (23) | 101 (22) | 1.07 (0.71 to 1.60) | |
| No ceiling insulation | ✓ | 33 (18) | 76 (17) | 1.06 (0.68 to 1.66) | |
| Shade | |||||
| House a little in shade | ✓ | 55 (29) | 152 (33) | 0.72 (0.48 to 1.07) | |
| House a lot in shade | ✓ (2) | 50 (27) | 138 (30) | 0.72 (0.47 to 1.09) |
Bold figures indicate that the results are statistically significant at the level of 5%
*The ✓ symbol indicates that factor is included in the respective index. Numbers in parentheses indicate weighting of factor if other than 1.
†Absence of wall insulation, an item from the original RHI,18 was not assessed.
‡
DMI, Damp–Mould Index; RHI, Respiratory Hazard Index.