One in 10 nine-years olds live in cold, damp or overcrowded housing

One in 10 nine-years olds live in cold, damp or overcrowded housing which is damaging their health and cognitive development, a report published on Monday finds.

The study, by the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI), finds almost 20 per cent of young children live in “disorderly” neighbourhoods, and almost 7 per cent have lived in persistently cold housing throughout their childhoods.

Using data on children born in 2007-2008 gathered for the Growing Up in Ireland (GUI) project, the study is the first in Ireland to examine the impact of poor-quality housing on children’s wellbeing.

It looks at their living conditions in early and middle childhood and finds inadequate heating to be the most damaging of all deficiencies, saying it adversely impacts physical and emotional health, social and educational development, as well as parental wellbeing.

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“We find that housing conditions are associated with a range of health outcomes at age nine,” the authors said. “Consistent with previous research internationally, respiratory problems (episodes of wheezing) are more common for children living in poor housing conditions (including damp) as well as in homes not adequately heated.”

They found 8.1 per cent of households went without heating when the child was nine months old, between September 2008 and April 2009. This rose slightly to 9.1 per cent from December 2010 to July 2011 before a larger jump to 13.5 per cent from March to September 2013, when poverty peaked.

The proportion had declined to 6.8 per cent around four years later when the economy was in recovery – indicating this proportion went persistently without sufficient warmth “which is likely to intensify any negative effects on health outcomes”.

The study notes being in a lone-parent family, a mother’s illness or disability or being part of an ethnic minority “emerged as significant risk factors for such deprivation”.

Overall, at age nine, 75 per cent of children lived in owner-occupied housing, 12 per cent in social housing, 11 per cent in the private rented sector and more than 1 per cent were living with their parent(s) in their grandparents’ home.

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“While the majority of nine-year-olds were in housing parents thought suitable, one in 10 lived in unsuitable housing, mainly due to the size of the accommodation.”

A total of 19 per cent of nine-year-olds were “living in neighbourhoods that parents felt had higher levels of disorder, such as rubbish and vandalism,” which was impacting negatively on ‘pro-social’ behaviour.

“The most consistent influence is found for lack of warmth in the home, which is not only associated with all three health measures [respiratory problems, accidents and general health] but also with children’s SDQ [strengths and difficulties questionnaire] score.

“These are important outcomes not only for children’s current wellbeing but also their longer-term trajectories,” says the ESRI.

It notes the findings are for 2017/18 – “before the current energy crisis” and stresses: “The current rapid rise in fuel and other prices has had a greater proportionate impact on [the poorest 20 per cent of] households”.

The institute documented poor conditions in social housing 20 years ago, it says, underlying “the persistence” of housing that impact negatively on children. Greater investment in improving the living conditions of the poorest families, as well as in addressing fuel poverty, “by local and national Government will have dividends for the youngest members of society”.

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