Rural children are more likely to live in unhealthy or unsafe housing

Purpose: The quality and safety of housing can intimately affect children’s health. Rural housing infrastructure is typically older and potentially less safe than in urban areas. Our research explored potential disparities in housing quality associated with rural residence.

Method: We conducted a cross-sectional analysis of the 2011 American Housing Survey (AHS), restricted to homes with at least one child under age 18 living at home.  Rurality was defined using the AHS metro/non-metro classification. Multiple logistic regression models were used to analyze rural-urban differences in the presence of each of ten indicators of housing health or safety after adjusting for region and householder sex, race, marital status, education level, and poverty level.

Results: Rural children’s housing was more likely than that of urban children to lack a working smoke detector (OR 1.323, CI 1.073-1.631), to lack a carbon monoxide detector if one is needed (OR 1.257, CI 1.409), to show evidence of rodents (OR 1.533, CI 1.374-1.710), and to utilize kerosene space heaters for warmth (OR 1.716, CI 1.278-2.306).  Rural children were also more likely to be exposed to second-hand smoke in their homes than urban children (OR 1.519, 1.326-1.740), and to have inadequate housing generally (OR 1.324, CI 1.092-1.606).  Rural children were less likely to live in houses with evidence of roaches than urban children (OR .492, CI .420-.575). There was no statistical difference between rural and urban children’s housing in terms of presence of mold, proper chemical storage, or use of power outlet covers.

Conclusion: Rural children were more likely to live in housing that was unhealthy or unsafe, even after adjusting for various socioeconomic factors. Policymakers should consider addressing these disparities through targeted housing safety awareness and education programs.