Publication type
Journal Article
Authors
Publication date
February 8, 2024
Summary:
Background: Numerous aspects of housing are associated with health. However, the pathways between housing and health, particularly the psychosocial elements of housing, are less well understood. Epigenetic information alongside social survey data offers an opportunity to explore biological ageing, measured using DNA methylation, as a potential pathway through which housing affects health.
Methods: We use data on housing and DNA methylation from the UK Household Longitudinal Study, linked with prior survey responses from the British Household Panel Survey, covering adults in Great Britain. We explore the association between epigenetic ageing and housing circumstances, both contemporary and historical, using hierarchical regression.
Results: We find that living in a privately rented home is related to faster biological ageing. Importantly, the impact of private renting (coefficient (SE) 0.046 years (0.011) vs owned outright, p<0.001) is greater than the impact of experiencing unemployment (coefficient 0.027 years (0.012) vs employed, p<0.05) or being a former smoker (coefficient 0.021 years (0.005) vs never smoker, p<0.001). When we include historical housing circumstances in the analysis, we find that repeated housing arrears and exposure to pollution/environmental problems are also associated with faster biological ageing.
Conclusion: Our results suggest that challenging housing circumstances negatively affect health through faster biological ageing. However, biological ageing is reversible, highlighting the significant potential for housing policy changes to improve health.
Published in
Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health
Volume and page numbers
Volume: 78 , p.40 -46
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1136/jech-2023-220523
ISSN
143005
Subjects
Notes
Open Access
This is an open access article distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 Unported (CC BY 4.0) license, which permits others to copy, redistribute, remix, transform and build upon this work for any purpose, provided the original work is properly cited, a link to the licence is given, and indication of whether changes were made. See: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.
Covered by over 50 media outlets worldwide
#567965
Related Publications
-
Private renting is associated with faster epigenetic ageing
- Amy Clair
- Meena Kumari
- Emma Baker
Report
November 15, 2023 -
Insecure renting ages you faster than owning a home, unemployment or obesity. Better housing policy can change this
- Amy Clair
- Emma Baker
- Meena Kumari
Media
November 13, 2023 -
Private renting leads to ‘faster biological ageing’ than obesity
- Amy Clair
- Emma Baker
- Meena Kumari
Media
October 12, 2023 -
Health impacts from renting ‘worse than being a former smoker’: study
- Amy Clair
- Emma Baker
- Meena Kumari
Media
October 12, 2023 -
Private renters age faster, says Essex and Adelaide university research
- Amy Clair
- Emma Baker
- Meena Kumari
Media
October 11, 2023 -
Private renting leads to faster biological ageing, say researchers
- Amy Clair
- Emma Baker
- Meena Kumari
Media
October 11, 2023 -
Living in privately rented homes linked to faster biological ageing, study finds
- Amy Clair
- Emma Baker
- Meena Kumari
Media
October 10, 2023