The role of underheated homes in preschool respiratory infections: A national epidemiological and natural experiment study using linked data.

Acute respiratory infections (ARIs) are the main cause of hospitalisations in preschool children and increase the risk of asthma and premature adult death. ARIs are associated with underheated housing, but we do not know what proportion of preschool ARIs could be prevented by tackling underheated homes. This Fellowship will use novel cross-sectoral datasets and new national data linkage to investigate how underheated homes and the different approaches to warming them affect preschool ARI risk. This work will potentially influence energy, social and building policies to prevent preschool ARIs. Half of Scotland’s housing has low energy efficiency (hard to heat), producing significant carbon emissions. The Scottish Government is retrofitting existing housing to increase home energy efficiency (HEE) for Net Zero targets. Whilst making homes warmer, some HEE measures reduce ventilation, decreasing heat loss but trapping air pollutants indoors, potentially worsening respiratory health. New Scottish data developments have linked healthcare data to individual homes for the first time. I will use this linked data to define how many preschool ARIs could be prevented by addressing underheating and to ensure that Net Zero policies do not worsen health inequalities by exploring how different HEE measures affect preschool ARI risk.