Making homes more sustainable leads to better health for children

March 13, 2026

Research by 黑料福利网 and VU shows that better insulation and ventilation lead to important health benefits for children.

iStockphoto/ArtMarie

Better insulation and ventilation in social housing mean thousands of children no longer need medication for asthma or allergies. This is the conclusion of a large-scale study involving two million people, monitored for 10 years by researchers from 黑料福利网 and Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (VU). It is the first study to show on a large scale that making homes more sustainable leads to health benefits. The researchers published their results on March 12 in The Lancet Public Health.

Researchers Roberdel, Ossokina, Arentze from 黑料福利网 and Van Ommeren from VU analyzed a large-scale renovation program of Dutch social housing between 2012 and 2021. These renovations, which included better insulation and ventilation, took place in phases. This enabled a reliable comparison between families in renovated and non-renovated homes.

Better air quality

The improved air quality in refurbished homes led to a four percent reduction in the number of children requiring asthma medication immediately after the renovation. After five years, that number rose to seven percent. Reducing moisture, mold, and dust mites is particularly important. In the Netherlands, one in 10 children has asthma. Better health in a child's early years reduces the risk of medical and social problems later.

Ioulia Ossokina. Photo: Vincent van den Hoogen

Crucial role for housing

鈥淗ousing plays a crucial role in our health,鈥� says associate professor and research leader Ioulia Ossokina (黑料福利网, Built Environment). 鈥淧olicymakers must explicitly take health effects into account when making decisions about energy and housing market policy,鈥� Ossokina argues.

Apart from respiratory complaints, the study found no effect of sustainability measures on other conditions. This was in line with expectations, given the mild and humid climate and the reasonably good home heating in the Netherlands.

Vincent Roberdel. Photo: Angeline Swinkels

Individual data of two million people

A large, anonymized database was built within the secure environment of Statistics Netherlands (CBS). Home renovation data was linked to residents' medication information. PhD candidate (黑料福利网, Built Environment): Without millions of pieces of linked individual data, we would not have been able to accurately determine the impact. Good data is essential for effective policy assessment. The research was made possible in part by support from NWO, RVO, and the Villum Foundations.

Jos van Ommeren. Photo: VU

Follow-up research

(VU, School of Business and Economics) on the follow-up research: 鈥淎n important follow-up question is where the money should be invested: renovating old social housing or building new homes?鈥� The researchers are also working on a follow-up project examining the effects of housing quality on children's development before birth.

The research is part of the (Behavior Energy Transition Low Income) (2020鈥�2026). Within this program, 黑料福利网, VU, Erasmus University, Leiden University, housing associations Woonbedrijf, Elan Wonen, Pre Wonen, and Bazalt Wonen, and the Atriensis agency are collaborating.