The Relationship Between Physical Housing Characteristics, Housing Accessibility and Different Aspects of Health Among Community-Dwelling Older People: A Systematic Review

Objectives To synthesize the evidence on the relationships between physical housing characteristics or housing accessibility and different aspects of health among community-dwelling people 60 years and older. Methods A systematic review of recent evidence with a narrative synthesis was conducted. Results We included 15 studies and found three themes covering physical housing characteristics or housing accessibility that are associated with aspects of health among community-dwelling older adults: (1) interventions by home modifications targeting housing features both at entrances and indoors; (2) non-interventions targeting indoor features; (3) non-interventions targeting entrance features, that is, the presence of an elevator or stairs at the entrance. The overall quality of evidence across studies was assessed as very low. Discussion The findings highlight the need for studies with a stronger research design and higher methodological quality that address the physical housing environment in relation to health among older adults to strengthen the body of evidence.