Healthy Homes Solutions: Good Health Starts at Home

Need

Research has shown a clear and strong relationship between housing and health—or where people live and how they feel. This is especially true for children, low-income families, and people with chronic health conditions such as asthma, allergies, high blood pressure, and heart or lung disease. Some home health hazards can actually cause behavior disorders, asthma, cancer, or even death.

Solution

In response to the need for education and information about safe and healthy housing, the Healthy Homes Solutions program was developed as a 12-topic curriculum by and for Extension educators.

Topics include:

• indoor air quality.
• radon.
• asthma and allergies.
• mold and moisture control.
• carbon monoxide and other combustion gases.
• lead safety.
• protecting private drinking water wells and managing on-site waste systems.
• home safety.
• hazardous household products.
• integrated pest management.
• energy efficiency and healthy housing.

Workshops can be presented on individual topics as a series, and they are adaptable to fit a range of timeframes.

Target Audience

The target audience is everyone who has a home—especially high-risk populations, such as parents of young children, families and individuals who live in older housing, low-income families, and older adults.

Learning Objectives

The overarching objective of the program is to empower people with the knowledge they need to adopt healthy behaviors and take practical, low-cost actions to solve their housing challenges.

Specifically, participants should:

• understand the principles of healthy homes.
• know about the relationship between home environments and physical health.
• be better equipped to improve their home environments.

Results

In 2019, 3,984 community-dwelling older adults, residents of government-subsidized housing units, childcare providers, and families participated in the Healthy Homes Solutions program.

For More Information

To learn more about the Healthy Homes Solutions program, contact:

David Buys, Ph.D., MSPH, CPH

Assistant Extension and Research Professor

State Health Specialist

david.buys@msstate.edu

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