Vaid Uchita
Design Studies Department, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA.
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2024 Dec 23;21(12):1710. doi: 10.3390/ijerph21121710.
An increasing body of literature has investigated the implications of housing quality on health, confirming the negative consequences of poor housing quality on physical and mental health. Despite this increased focus on the salutogenic impacts of housing, the relationship between housing quality and cognitive health remains understudied. This study examined how the housing quality in urban informal settlements, where living conditions are often substandard, affects women's cognitive functioning, with a specific focus on executive function (EF) skills. EF is a decision-making system that enables us to make decisions using working memory and attentional control. This study addressed two key questions: (1) Is housing quality associated with EF skills? (2) Does perceived housing stress experienced by women mediate the housing-EF relationship? A standardized observer-based tool assessed housing quality, psychometric instruments measured EF skills, and a 12-item questionnaire evaluated perceived housing stress. Results indicated that better housing quality is positively associated with higher EF skills, with housing stress acting as a mediating factor in this relationship. These findings have important implications for both health and housing policies. Investments in improving housing conditions can yield cognitive health benefits for women, and addressing stress-inducing housing factors could further enhance cognitive outcomes.
越来越多的文献研究了住房质量对健康的影响，证实了住房质量差对身心健康的负面影响。尽管对住房的健康促进影响的关注有所增加，但住房质量与认知健康之间的关系仍未得到充分研究。本研究考察了城市非正规住区（那里的生活条件往往不达标准）的住房质量如何影响女性的认知功能，特别关注执行功能（EF）技能。EF是一种决策系统，使我们能够利用工作记忆和注意力控制做出决策。本研究解决了两个关键问题：（1）住房质量与EF技能有关联吗？（2）女性所感受到的住房压力是否在住房与EF的关系中起中介作用？一种基于观察的标准化工具评估住房质量，心理测量工具测量EF技能，一份12项问卷评估所感受到的住房压力。结果表明，更好的住房质量与更高的EF技能呈正相关，住房压力在这种关系中起中介作用。这些发现对健康和住房政策都具有重要意义。改善住房条件的投资可为女性带来认知健康益处，解决导致压力的住房因素可进一步提高认知成果。
