Impact of housing improvements on childhood hospitalization rates in a large cohort of low-income families in New Zealand.

The global burden of disease arising from exposure to inadequate housing is a significant public health concern. In New Zealand over 25,000 children are hospitalized annually with preventable housing-related conditions, with Māori and Pacific children particularly at risk. The Healthy Homes Initiative (HHI) is a community-led, government-funded, multicomponent intervention aimed at improving health outcomes for children at risk of housing-related illness in low-income families. In this study, we examined hospitalizations for children enrolled in the HHI between 2014 and 2023. Using Poisson regression, we show that the HHI was associated with a 29% five-year reduction in childhood hospitalizations, equal to approximately 2,817 hospitalizations or 16,027 hospitalizations per 100,000 people. Community-led interventions such as the HHI are an effective mechanism to address housing as a social determinant of health. When given sustained government support, they have the potential to make a significant impact on health outcomes and contribute to the wider public good.