Cold homes problem in city

The death of South Auckland toddler Emma-Lita Bourne was blamed, in part, on the poor condition of the family's state house. Photo / File

Cold and damp housing is a significant issue facing children, with a Rotorua paediatrician calling for more to be done to change the culture of accepting unfit houses.

Johan Morreau said that New Zealanders tended to accept cold and poorly insulated houses and it was affecting the health of those living in them.

"There's no question cold, damp housing is an issue and I think it is significant."

He said that at Rotorua Hospital they admitted a "large number" of children with respiratory-based issues and the housing conditions could significantly contribute to those.

Calls to improve housing have come after a coroner released findings into the death of South Auckland toddler Emma-Lita Bourne, which was blamed in part on the poor condition of the family's state house.

Dr Morreau said cold, damp houses could predispose children to certain respiratory conditions. He said those houses were more likely to be crowded with people in much closer proximity to each other and therefore "much more likely to share all the viruses".

The nature of the illnesses meant they could be sicker and have more hospital admissions, he said.

His most important initial piece of advice to those in that situation was to reduce smoking, or the children's exposure to smoke, which would help reduce the likelihood of their getting sick.

But he said there needed to be more done, such as a housing "warrant of fitness" scheme or a housing bureau where people could go to get immediate help on cheap ways to improve their home's condition.

Dr Morreau said doctors routinely inquired about the housing conditions of young patients. "In some ways, that is as important as the medical things."

Dr Morreau said if an issue was identified families could be linked with support services, but he said it would be good to have some sort of housing bureau, like the Citizens Advice Bureau, which acted as a one-stop shop for housing queries.

"It would be great having a sort of system that co-ordinates support and gives people advice.

"By and large, we as New Zealanders take cold houses for granted. Our houses are poorly insulated compared to houses in Europe."

He said there was a culture of acceptance of poor housing conditions.

Earlier this year, the Lakes District Health Board entered into a service agreement with the Western Heights Health Centre to establish and deliver the Western Heights Healthy Homes service.

The project is aimed at reducing rheumatic fever by addressing household overcrowding and is responsible for managing referrals to the service, as well as working with families to identify and resolve housing overcrowding issues.

Rates of rheumatic fever transmission are known to be higher in those homes where there is not enough space and/or inadequate heating and insulation for families to live comfortably.

Asthma Foundation medical director Kyle Perrin said overcrowded, damp and poorly heated housing was one of the most important contributors to poor respiratory health of children in New Zealand.