Health impacts of fuel poverty

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Health impacts of fuel poverty

• Christine Liddell
• School of Psychology

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Why are health effects relevant?

• A major rationale for government investment
• People are not convinced they exist
• Effects in NI likely to be greater than average
• Temperatures over last
  318 months
• 27 had an average of
  15.50 C or higher
• Fuel poverty is a
  year-long risk in NI (NISRA, 2007)
• Not inputs to houses but human outcomes
• Because they are so convincing

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Fuel poverty strategy saves lives

• Deaths linked to cold in NI 1980-2005

The decrease is likely to be linked to measures
addressing fuel poverty (NISRA, 2007, p.14).

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Deaths linked to cold in NI
This is a very substantial reduction, by over
two thirds for the younger age group and by
almost a half for the older age group. (NISRA,
2007, p. 18)
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• Excess winter mortality is only the tip of this
  iceberg.
• Many additional health effects may accrue from
  tackling fuel poverty.

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Health impacts of fuel poverty

• The FULL Impacts of Fuel Poverty are not really
  known yet
• since 1936 there have been only 8 studies
• they were not very thorough or well-designed

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Health Impacts are of two kinds
Impacts on physical health Annual cost to the NHS
1 billion in UK (NEA, 2007) 21M in NI
(NEA, 2004)
Impacts on mental health Annual cost?
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• We SHOULD know more soon
• There are 14 ongoing studies of Warm Front and
  health effects
• DEFRA 1M Welsh Assembly
• Also involved EST, DEFRA, DH

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• But
• Already outdated
• Winters 2001/2 and 2002/3
• AND
• Based on 6 months follow ups
• Impacts may take more time

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Impacts of fuel povertywhy we need to KNOW the
impacts
FP back on the increase Easiest cases have all
been fixed hardest to treat homes and
hardest to persuade clients remain
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Impacts of fuel poverty on physical health

• Improvements to physical health among
• senior citizens people with disabilities
  children

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Physical health effects of tackling fuel poverty
among seniors and disabled people

• Less
• Respiratory disease
• Hypothermia
• Embolisms
• Arthritis/rheumatism
• Accidents/falls/burns
• Self-neglect

• and
• Shorter stays in hospital
• 81 and 35 hospital nights (NZ)
• Less relapse post-discharge
• Less convalescent care
• Less GP attendance
• Less healthworker attendance

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Quote from Senior Citizen, Newham study, London
2006)
It was so cold, so cold. If the phone rang I
would just not go into the hall to answer it. I
would wait all morning to go up to the toilet,
and then Id quickly make a cup of tea at the
same time. For a while there, I put my dressing
gown on over my clothes, but tripped over the
belt one time on the stairs, so I stopped that.
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Physical health effects of tackling fuel poverty
among children
Less Respiratory disease
Allergy (2-fold reduction)
(4-fold reduction)
Damp/condensation Tobacco Smoke
Dust mites VOCs
These positive health effects have lifelong
benefits for children
Plus
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• Fewer days off
• school

• Homework done
• in a quiet bedroom

Researchers anticipate educational benefits too
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Effects on children

• Life-span effects wide range of effects
• health multiplier effects

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How are physical health effects brought about?
Results from the Warm Front Research Team

• BEDROOMS
• 1/3 of a day
• Least mobile
• Most dust/mites

Living room
Bedroom
Kitchen
People increase heating most in their bedroom/s
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Impacts of fuel poverty on mental health or bad
nerves
These are what people describe most often They
are even more conclusive Positive benefits
reported in 8 of 9 studies Mental health
benefits emerge quicker than physical health
benefits
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• Reduces noise pollution
• Reduces financial worries (NZ study 23 less
  fuel was used)
• Lowers stress levels
• Decreases social isolation and loneliness,
  especially among single parents (Harrington,
  2005).
• I very rarely go out because I prefer to pay my
  bills and keep the house warm. Its a priority,
  especially with the little one.
• Fewer days off work
• Increases personal sense of wellbeing sevenfold
  (NZ)

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• A model for community empowerment and grassroots
  participation
• People need persuading
• -only 30 of fule poor think they ARE fuel poor
• -many elderly people expect to be cold at home
  We used to take the oven shelf out and wrap it
  in a towel to go to bed with. It was a real
  comfort. It didnt strike me as cold that was
  our way of life