ABSTRACT
Research into the relationship between housing and health is not easy. This may seem surprising because the relationship between poor housing and poor health is essentially self-evident. So why is the relationship so difficult to prove? The main problem is that inadequacy of housing is invariably associated with other hardships, such as poor nutrition, poor sanitation and curtailment of personal freedom, all of which prejudice health in its widest sense. In most cases, it is neither necessary nor desirable to try to untangle these threads of disadvantage. However, this is not an excuse for failure to describe and document the extent of the housing problem in Britain, nor the ill health with which it is associated. We have a social duty to try to identify those specific aspects of the housing environment which cause physical and mental illness, so that preventive measures can be taken. Research must be done and therefore the problems which will be met in undertaking this research must be understood.
