Grant: Collaborative Health Research Projects
University of Manitoba
$79,175.00
Development of a protocol for the renewal of housing to improve the health of First Nations residents
FY 2013-14
Summary
Extreme weather and social conditions create many challenges that affect the conditions of homes and thehealth of their inhabitants. First Nations housing has been characterized as ""substandard"", ""Third World"",""inadequate"", ""unsuitable"", ""overcrowded"", ""mouldy"", ""unhealthy"", ""in need of major repairs"", ""of poorquality"", and more. The demand for engineered solutions for northern housing is of high priority. Theobjectives of the proposed community-based research project are to: (a) develop a protocol for assessing FirstNations housing; (b) use this protocol to develop a Best Practice Process for First Nations housing renewal; and(c) develop a Healthy Housing Index (HHI) which will serve as a tool to measure the link between housingconditions and health, using both medical and building sciences. The proposed research project fills a seriousgap in the evaluation tools available in assessing the housing conditions as determinants of health of FirstNations people. The interdisciplinary research is designed to draw from the expertise of professionals fromengineering, medicine and education that will lead to knowledge and technologies useful in improving thehealth of First Nations Canadians. The proposed Protocol and the Best Practice Process will ensure uniformityin the renewal process, allow only qualified personnel to carry out renewal projects, guarantee the quality of thework, result in quantifiable levels of success, prevent ""patch work"" by non-qualified contractors, and lead to thedevelopment of appropriate design and construction guidelines for sustainable healthy housing for FirstNations communities. Home remediation can be incorporated as part of an overall intervention strategy in thetreatment and control of respiratory and other associated medical problems. The HHI will allow healthcareofficials to evaluate health outcomes with reference to housing conditions, help community leaders moreeffectively address housing conditions in their community to improve the health of its residents, assistprovincial/federal housing and health authorities to identify areas in which housing rehabilitation programs canyield the greatest gains in residents' health.
Program
Collaborative Health Research Projects
Recipient
Location
Manitoba, Canada
Recipient Type
Academia
Type
Grant
Source
NSERC's Awards Data
As published
Application id
399055-2011
Name nom
Polyzois, Dimos
Department département
Civil Engineering
Organization id
19
Institution établissement
University of Manitoba
Province en
Manitoba
Province fr
Manitoba
Country en
CANADA
Country fr
CANADA
Fiscal year exercice financier
2013
Competition year année de concours
2011
Award amount
79175
Program id
CHRPJ
Program name en
Collaborative Health Research Projects
Program name fr
Projets de recherche concertée sur la santé
Group en
Discovery grants programs
Group fr
Programmes de subventions à la découverte
Committee code
360
Committee name en
Collaborative Health Research Projects Selection Panel
Committee name fr
Comité de sélection de projets de recherche concertée sur la santé
Area of application code
603
Area of application group en
Construction, urban and rural planning
Area of application group fr
Construction, urbanisme et aménagement rural
Area of application en
Construction methods
Area of application fr
Méthodes de construction
Research subject code
1000
Research subject group en
Civil engineering
Research subject group fr
Génie civil
Research subject en
Civil engineering
Research subject fr
Génie civil
Partie
3
Nb partie
3
Application title
Development of a protocol for the renewal of housing to improve the health of First Nations residents
Keyword
NSERC
Application summary
Extreme weather and social conditions create many challenges that affect the conditions of homes and thehealth of their inhabitants. First Nations housing has been characterized as ""substandard"", ""Third World"",""inadequate"", ""unsuitable"", ""overcrowded"", ""mouldy"", ""unhealthy"", ""in need of major repairs"", ""of poorquality"", and more. The demand for engineered solutions for northern housing is of high priority. Theobjectives of the proposed community-based research project are to: (a) develop a protocol for assessing FirstNations housing; (b) use this protocol to develop a Best Practice Process for First Nations housing renewal; and(c) develop a Healthy Housing Index (HHI) which will serve as a tool to measure the link between housingconditions and health, using both medical and building sciences. The proposed research project fills a seriousgap in the evaluation tools available in assessing the housing conditions as determinants of health of FirstNations people. The interdisciplinary research is designed to draw from the expertise of professionals fromengineering, medicine and education that will lead to knowledge and technologies useful in improving thehealth of First Nations Canadians. The proposed Protocol and the Best Practice Process will ensure uniformityin the renewal process, allow only qualified personnel to carry out renewal projects, guarantee the quality of thework, result in quantifiable levels of success, prevent ""patch work"" by non-qualified contractors, and lead to thedevelopment of appropriate design and construction guidelines for sustainable healthy housing for FirstNations communities. Home remediation can be incorporated as part of an overall intervention strategy in thetreatment and control of respiratory and other associated medical problems. The HHI will allow healthcareofficials to evaluate health outcomes with reference to housing conditions, help community leaders moreeffectively address housing conditions in their community to improve the health of its residents, assistprovincial/federal housing and health authorities to identify areas in which housing rehabilitation programs canyield the greatest gains in residents' health.
