WELLINE: WELL-BEING AND THE INDOOR ENVIRONMENT
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Birmingham
Department Name: School of Health Sciences -Dup
Abstract
Most people spend the majority of their lives indoor, particularly in older age. Indoor environments can play a major role in lifelong health and wellbeing, and this proposal will focus on lifelong environmental factors associated with chronic disorders affecting bones, joints, nervous system, hearts and lungs, which are amongst the most prevalent conditions found in the older population. These conditions (e.g. arthritis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (smoker?s lung), high blood pressure, Parkinson?s disease, etc.) can considerably affect the quality of life of older people, be potentially life threatening, and place a significant burden on public health resources. The role of the indoor environment is potentially very important in these conditions because as these conditions worsen, mobility lessens and a greater amount of time is spent indoors.
The mechanisms linking indoor environmental factors and health outcomes are complex, and the involvement of a multidisciplinary group of stakeholders is required in order to unravel them. By identifying the interactions between lifelong indoor environmental factors and key chronic diseases affecting the older population, this proposal will identify effective interventions on the indoor environment which could alleviate existing cardiopulmonary, musculoskeletal or neurological conditions in older people, and/or prevent the onset and/or mitigate progression of such conditions during the life course.
The mechanisms linking indoor environmental factors and health outcomes are complex, and the involvement of a multidisciplinary group of stakeholders is required in order to unravel them. By identifying the interactions between lifelong indoor environmental factors and key chronic diseases affecting the older population, this proposal will identify effective interventions on the indoor environment which could alleviate existing cardiopulmonary, musculoskeletal or neurological conditions in older people, and/or prevent the onset and/or mitigate progression of such conditions during the life course.
Technical Summary
We spend the majority of our lives indoors, from youth to old age. Indoor environments can play a major role in lifelong health and wellbeing, and while this proposal will mostly focus on how the indoor environment influences chronic disorders affecting the musculoskeletal, cardiopulmonary and nervous systems, amongst the most prevalent conditions found in the older population, we will embrace the concept of ?age friendliness? and the need to be preventive throughout life. These chronic conditions (e.g. degenerative joint disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), heart disease, Parkinson?s disease, etc.) can considerably affect the quality of life of individuals - in some cases from a relatively young age - be potentially life threatening, and place a significant burden on public health resources. The role of the indoor environment is important in these conditions: as these conditions worsen, mobility lessens and a greater amount of time is spent indoors.
The mechanisms linking indoor environmental factors and health outcomes are complex and synergistic. The DPSEEA model provides an opportunity to explore and map actions/interventions in the chain of causation, taking into account the relationships between Drivers, Pressures, State, Exposure, Effect, and Actions. By adopting such a strategic framework, the proposed multidisciplinary Network will identify indoor environmental factors that are major determinants over the life course of health outcomes, with a focus on musculoskeletal, cardiopulmonary and neurological disorders arising in later life.
At the core of this project there will be 3 multidisciplinary workshops. In particular, 2 one-day workshops will address lifelong indoor environmental factors and health outcomes with a particular focus on the chronic disorders affecting musculoskeletal, cardiopulmonary and nervous systems in later life. In these we aim to map key areas onto the DPSEEA model and identify further work to be done outside the workshops in refining the models. The results from the 2 one-day workshops will then be utilised as a starting point for a third 2-day final summary workshop. This will: a) improve the DPSEEA maps with the information gained from the interim work, b) identify key interventions; c) outline ideas for a research proposal.
By identifying the interactions between indoor environmental factors and key chronic diseases affecting the older population, this proposal will identify effective interventions on the indoor environment which could alleviate existing cardiopulmonary, musculoskeletal or neurological conditions in older people, and/or prevent the onset and/or mitigate progression of such conditions during the life course.
The mechanisms linking indoor environmental factors and health outcomes are complex and synergistic. The DPSEEA model provides an opportunity to explore and map actions/interventions in the chain of causation, taking into account the relationships between Drivers, Pressures, State, Exposure, Effect, and Actions. By adopting such a strategic framework, the proposed multidisciplinary Network will identify indoor environmental factors that are major determinants over the life course of health outcomes, with a focus on musculoskeletal, cardiopulmonary and neurological disorders arising in later life.
At the core of this project there will be 3 multidisciplinary workshops. In particular, 2 one-day workshops will address lifelong indoor environmental factors and health outcomes with a particular focus on the chronic disorders affecting musculoskeletal, cardiopulmonary and nervous systems in later life. In these we aim to map key areas onto the DPSEEA model and identify further work to be done outside the workshops in refining the models. The results from the 2 one-day workshops will then be utilised as a starting point for a third 2-day final summary workshop. This will: a) improve the DPSEEA maps with the information gained from the interim work, b) identify key interventions; c) outline ideas for a research proposal.
By identifying the interactions between indoor environmental factors and key chronic diseases affecting the older population, this proposal will identify effective interventions on the indoor environment which could alleviate existing cardiopulmonary, musculoskeletal or neurological conditions in older people, and/or prevent the onset and/or mitigate progression of such conditions during the life course.