IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jijerp/v11y2014i5p4825-4844d35780.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Surveillance of Social and Geographic Inequalities in Housing-Related Issues: The Case of the Eastern Townships, Quebec (Canada)

Author

Listed:
  • Mathieu Roy

    (Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, Québec J1H 5N4, Canada)

  • Mélissa Généreux

    (Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, Québec J1H 5N4, Canada
    Eastern Townships Public Health Department, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, Québec J1G 1B1, Canada)

  • Émélie Laverdière

    (Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, Québec J1H 5N4, Canada)

  • Alain Vanasse

    (Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, Québec J1H 5N4, Canada)

Abstract

Even though health inequalities are conditioned by many aspects of the environment, much of the existing research focuses on the social environment. This emphasis has the effect to neglect other environmental aspects such as its physical dimension. The physical environment, which is linked to housing conditions, may contribute to the uneven distribution of health. In this study, we examined 19 housing-related issues among a representative sample of 2,000 adults residing in a Quebec (Canada) health region characterized by a mix of rural, semi-rural, and urban areas. The distribution of these issues was examined according to socioeconomic and geographic indicators of social position. Summary measures of inequalities were assessed. Our results showed that the prevalence of nearly all housing-related issues was higher among low-income households compared to more affluent ones. Highly educated individuals showed better housing conditions, whereas different issues tended to cluster in deprived or densely populated areas. To conclude, we observed steep gradients between social class and poor housing conditions. This may explain a substantial part of health inequality on the regional scale. The surveillance of housing-related issues is therefore essential to properly inform and mobilize local stakeholders and to develop interventions that target vulnerable groups on this level.

Suggested Citation

  • Mathieu Roy & Mélissa Généreux & Émélie Laverdière & Alain Vanasse, 2014. "Surveillance of Social and Geographic Inequalities in Housing-Related Issues: The Case of the Eastern Townships, Quebec (Canada)," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 11(5), pages 1-20, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:11:y:2014:i:5:p:4825-4844:d:35780
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/11/5/4825/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/11/5/4825/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Blumberg, S.J. & Luke, J.V., 2009. "Reevaluating the need for concern regarding noncoverage bias in landline surveys," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 99(10), pages 1806-1810.
    2. Galobardes, B. & Costanza, M.C. & Bernstein, M.S. & Delhumeau, C. & Morabia, A., 2003. "Trends in Risk Factors for Lifestyle-Related Diseases by Socioeconomic Position in Geneva, Switzerland, 1993-2000: Health Inequalities Persist," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 93(8), pages 1302-1309.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Rehana Shrestha & Johannes Flacke & Javier Martinez & Martin Van Maarseveen, 2016. "Environmental Health Related Socio-Spatial Inequalities: Identifying “Hotspots” of Environmental Burdens and Social Vulnerability," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 13(7), pages 1-23, July.
    2. Mathieu Lanthier-Veilleux & Geneviève Baron & Mélissa Généreux, 2016. "Respiratory Diseases in University Students Associated with Exposure to Residential Dampness or Mold," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 13(11), pages 1-12, November.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Pei-Hsuan Weng & Jen-Hau Chen & Jeng-Min Chiou & Yu-Kang Tu & Ta-Fu Chen & Ming-Jang Chiu & Sung-Chun Tang & Shin-Joe Yeh & Yen-Ching Chen, 2018. "The effect of lifestyle on late-life cognitive change under different socioeconomic status," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 13(6), pages 1-15, June.
    2. Rehana Shrestha & Johannes Flacke & Javier Martinez & Martin Van Maarseveen, 2016. "Environmental Health Related Socio-Spatial Inequalities: Identifying “Hotspots” of Environmental Burdens and Social Vulnerability," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 13(7), pages 1-23, July.
    3. Eamon Molloy, 2016. "This Ad is for You: Targeting and the Effect of Alcohol Advertising on Youth Drinking," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 25(2), pages 148-164, February.
    4. Carlos de Mestral & Pedro Marques-Vidal & Jean-Michel Gaspoz & Jean-Marc Theler & Idris Guessous, 2017. "Independent association between socioeconomic indicators and macro- and micro-nutrient intake in Switzerland," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 12(4), pages 1-15, April.
    5. Sheena E Ramsay & Peter H Whincup & Sarah L Hardoon & Lucy T Lennon & Richard W Morris & S G Wannamethee, 2011. "Social Class Differences in Secular Trends in Established Coronary Risk Factors over 20 Years: A Cohort Study of British Men from 1978–80 to 1998–2000," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 6(5), pages 1-5, May.
    6. Silvia Stringhini & Brenda Spencer & Pedro Marques-Vidal & Gerard Waeber & Peter Vollenweider & Fred Paccaud & Pascal Bovet, 2012. "Age and Gender Differences in the Social Patterning of Cardiovascular Risk Factors in Switzerland: The CoLaus Study," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 7(11), pages 1-9, November.
    7. Radoslaw Panczak & Marcel Zwahlen & Ulrich Woitek & Frank J Rühli & Kaspar Staub, 2014. "Socioeconomic, Temporal and Regional Variation in Body Mass Index among 188,537 Swiss Male Conscripts Born between 1986 and 1992," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 9(5), pages 1-10, May.
    8. Ana-Lucia Mayén & Idris Guessous & Fred Paccaud & Silvia Stringhini & Pedro Marques-Vidal, 2016. "Educational differences in dietary intake and compliance with dietary recommendations in a Swiss adult population," International Journal of Public Health, Springer;Swiss School of Public Health (SSPH+), vol. 61(9), pages 1059-1067, December.
    9. Cécile Knai & Tim Lobstein & Nicole Darmon & Harry Rutter & Martin McKee, 2012. "Socioeconomic Patterning of Childhood Overweight Status in Europe," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 9(4), pages 1-18, April.
    10. Denise Howel & Elaine Stamp & Thomas J Chadwick & Ashley J Adamson & Martin White, 2013. "Are Social Inequalities Widening in Generalised and Abdominal Obesity and Overweight among English Adults?," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 8(11), pages 1-9, November.
    11. Bruno Linetzky & Fernando Maio & Daniel Ferrante & Jonatan Konfino & Carlos Boissonnet, 2013. "Sex-stratified socio-economic gradients in physical inactivity, obesity, and diabetes: evidence of short-term changes in Argentina," International Journal of Public Health, Springer;Swiss School of Public Health (SSPH+), vol. 58(2), pages 277-284, April.
    12. Cordner, Alissa, 2012. "The health care access and utilization of homeschooled children in the United States," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 75(2), pages 269-273.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:11:y:2014:i:5:p:4825-4844:d:35780. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.