Environmental Health and Safety Risks in Off-Campus Housing: Policy and Health Promotion Implications

College students generally live in apartments or homes that have frequent changes in tenants. This often results in carelessness in the cleanliness and upkeep of the structure and living environment by both students and management. In 2005, increased health complaints in off-campus student rental housing at Brigham Young University led to development and implementation of a needs-assessment survey to determine how extensive the health problems were that students faced in their housing. Study effort included 1,964 surveys, representing over 10% of the target population. A survey instrument was developed specifically for the study and was validated by a panel of experts. Students (1,964) participated in a survey to assess the prevalence of specific environmental risks such as flooding, gas leaks, broken or cracked windows, installed appliances, electrical wiring, heating/cooling systems, inside dampness, ants, cockroaches, mice, mildew, and broken steps and handrails. Results include high percentages of preventable problems. Among reported general problems were those associated with installed appliances (39.6%); heating/cooling systems (31.9%); security locks (23.4%); flooding (19.2%); objectionable odors (13.5%); and broken steps/handrails (7.8%).The findings support past research showing a connection between health and housing. The results provide evidence for the need for health promotion interventions and policy changes to reduce occupant health and safety risks in student housing. These results may have implications in other universities across the nation.