The effects of modern housing on malaria transmission in different endemic zones: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND

Modern housing has been shown to reduce the risk of malaria infections compared to traditional houses; however, it is unclear if the effects differ in different malaria transmission settings. This study evaluated the effects of modern housing on malaria among different endemic areas.

METHODS

Electronic databases, clinical trial registries and grey literature were searched for randomized controlled trials, cohort studies, case-control studies, and cross-sectional surveys on housing done between 1987 and 2022. Forest plots were done, and the quality of evidence was assessed using the Grading of Recommendations, Assessments, Development and Evaluation Framework.

RESULTS

Twenty-one studies were included; thirteen were cross-sectional, four were case-control and four were cohort studies. Cohort studies showed an adjusted risk ratio of 0.68 (95% CI 0.48-0.96), and cross-sectional studies indicated an adjusted odds ratio (aOR) of 0.79 (95%CI 0.75-0.83). By endemic transmission regions, the adjusted odds ratio in the high endemic settings was 0.80 (95%CI 0.76-085); in the moderate transmission regions, aOR = 0.76 (95%CI 0.67-0.85) and in the low transmission settings, aOR = 0.67 (95%CI 0.48-0.85).

CONCLUSIONS

The evidence from observational studies suggests that there are no differences in the protective effects of modern houses compared to traditional houses on malaria by endemicity level. This implies that good quality modern housing protects against malaria regardless of the malaria transmission settings.