Fuel Poverty Research Library
Previous research has indicated that poor housing is linked to physical health problems and psychological distress. However, it was not known if this also applied to diagnosable psychiatric illnesses. The Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Survey (APMS) questionnaire collects data on the prevalence of common diagnosable mental health disorders in the UK population. In 2007, the survey asked participants a series of questions on energy consumption, fuel poverty and housing conditions. This provided a large dataset of evidence, which offered the opportunity to investigate fuel poverty, physical and mental health and any discernible connections between them.
Key research Question
The research was guided by the following objectives:
Summary of activity
The analysis of secondary data drew on existing APMS data, which were collected via a mix of structured and semi-structured questionnaires completed by a sample of the UK population.
Methodologies
Findings
In terms of housing data, the analysis indicated that there was a relationship between household demographic, housing type and condition, and fuel poverty. After accounting for socioeconomic variables, a clear association between poor physical health (especially disability) and aspects of fuel poverty remained. While a clear causal relationship between fuel poverty, poor housing and recognised psychiatric disorders could not be established with certainty, survey participants with a diagnosable common mental disorder (CMD) were more likely to experience all aspects of fuel-related poverty. Conversely, indicators of fuel poverty such as cold housing and reducing fuel use could be used as predictors of a CMD. Because CMD levels were higher among social renters, housing tenure was also a predictor.
Recommendations
Outputs