Excerpt

The Call to Action describes the steps people can take now to protect themselves from disease, disability and injury that may result from health hazards in their houses. These steps have been scientifically proven to reduce health problems that cause or contribute to disease and injuries. And, improving literacy about healthy homes and teaching people about the steps they can take to change unhealthy and unsafe behaviors at home will lead to better health for all Americans.

This Call to Action also outlines the next steps of a society-wide, comprehensive and coordinated approach to healthy homes that will result in the greatest possible public health impact and reduce disparities in the availability of healthy, safe, affordable, accessible, and environmentally friendly homes.

Contents

• Message from the Secretary, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
• Foreword from the Acting Surgeon General, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
• 1. The Need for Healthy Homes
• 2. The Connection Between Health and Homes
  • How Indoor Air Quality Affects Health
  • How Water Quality Affects Health
  • How Residential Chemicals Affect Health
  • How Housing Structure and Design Affect Health
  • Elevated Lead Levels
  • Mental Health
  • Structural Deficiencies
  • Accessibility
  • How Behaviors Contribute to Adverse Health Related to Homes
  • Disparities in Access to Safe and Healthy Homes
  • Relationships among Community Characteristics, Health, and Homes
  • Housing Instability and Homelessness
• 3. Promoting Healthy Homes through Prevention
  • Improving Air Quality
  • Improving Water Quality
  • Reducing Harmful Chemicals
  • Improving Housing Structure and Design
  • Preventing Elevated Lead Levels
  • Improving Mental Health
  • Remedying Structural Deficiencies
  • Improving Accessibility
  • Encouraging Safe and Healthy Behaviors
  • Reducing Disparities in Access to Healthy and Safe Homes
  • Addressing Community Factors that Affect Health and Homes
  • Housing Instability and Homelessness
• 4. Homes and Health Research
  • The Importance of Research
  • Research Methods
  • Costs and Benefits
  • Additional Topical Research
• 5. Ensuring Healthy Homes: Taking Action for the Future
  • Goal 1: Ensuring Healthy, Safe, Affordable, and Accessible Homes
  • Goal 2: Increase Public Awareness and Promote Health Literacy
  • Goal 3: Conduct Healthy Homes Research
  • Goal 4: Translate Research into Practice and Policy
• 6. Conclusions
• Acknowledgments
• References
• Glossary

Suggested citation:

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The Surgeon General’s Call to Action To Promote Healthy Homes. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the Surgeon General, 2009.