Embedded Files
The pathways linking housing insecurity and the health and wellbeing of mothers in the UK: a systematic review
In the UK many families live with housing insecurity - they do not have stable, safe or affordable accommodation. The proportion of families in the private rented sector, where tenancies are insecure and the poorest conditions are recorded, increased from 8% in 1997 to 21% in 2019 (Resolution Foundation, 2019), and 34% of private renters now have dependent children (MHCLG, 2024a). These changes are reflected in rising numbers of people becoming homelessness, and there are now 80,530 families in temporary accommodation in England, an increase of 16% since 2022-23 (MHCLG 2024b).
Women with children are disproportionately disadvantaged in the housing market. Female single parents constitute around two-thirds of statutory homeless families in England and are the most common household type in temporary accommodation (MHCLG, 2025).
Shelter estimates a 75% increase in female-headed households in temporary accommodation over the past decade (Shelter, 2023). Further, a focus on mothers rather than parents in general is important as it introduces gender as a lens. We know that the experience of housing insecurity and the way people in housing insecurity are governed is gendered, particularly in relation to parents (Reeve & Turrell, 2025; Bimpson, Parr & Reeve, 2022).
Review question:
What can qualitative evidence tell us about the pathways linking housing insecurity and the health and wellbeing of mothers in the UK?
Link to protocol (coming soon)
What is the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of weight loss treatments for adults with knee osteoarthritis (KOA) and a BMI >30 kg/m2?
Osteoarthritis (OA) causes joints to become painful and stiff and is a leading cause of pain and disability (Litwic 2013, Jinks 2007). OA is the commonest form of arthritis and causes substantial personal, societal and work productivity loss (Swain, 2020).
A patient with a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or more is classified as living with obesity (NG246). An increased BMI puts more strain on the lower limbs, particularly knee, hip, and ankle joints (Litwic 2013). There is an accepted relationship between obesity, musculoskeletal and cardiometabolic ill-health (Hawker 2022, Swain 2020), as well as rapidly rising rates of all three conditions at a younger age in the UK population (Swain 2020). OA and obesity are also associated with socioeconomic deprivation (Witkam 2022, Reyes 2015). In the UK, approximately 1 in 10 adults have symptomatic, clinically diagnosed osteoarthritis, the knee being the most common joint affected apart from the hand (Swain 2020).
We will be producing a network meta-analysis (NMA) and health economics evaluation to compare the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of all treatments for weight loss in populations living with obesity and KOA.
Link to protocol (coming soon)
The effects of domestic combustion on indoor air quality and health: Evidence briefing
There is much research on the health impacts of outdoor air pollution, and interventions have been implemented, for instance, to reduce air pollution from traffic (e.g., clean air zones, low emission zones), which shifts the emphasis towards indoor air pollution, which now constitutes a greater proportion of total air pollution exposure among people living in the UK than in previous years (AQEG, 2022). Uncertainty remains regarding the concentrations of indoor air pollutants (e.g., fine particulate matter, PM2.5) and changes over time across UK homes (AQEG, 2022). The home environment presents distinct challenges for measuring air quality, with a lower predictive capability than outdoor air quality. However, improvements in either setting are anticipated to contribute to improvements in both (AQEG, 2022).
Evidence synthesis is required for policy recommendations, but there remains a gap in evidence from UK homes relating to the health impacts and health equity considerations of burning solid fuel for heating. This rapid synthesis and evidence brief aims to address that gap, enabling DEFRA to make evidence-based recommendations relating to interventions to address the health exposure risks from domestic combustion. Domestic combustion refers to households burning wood or other solid fuels in an open fire or stove for the purpose of heating.
Review questions:
How does domestic combustion impact indoor air quality, and
What are the health harms of indoor air pollutants from domestic combustion?
Link to protocol (coming soon)
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