Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2019 May;33(3):195-203.
doi: 10.1111/ppe.12550. Epub 2019 Apr 29.

The association between crowding within households and behavioural problems in children: Longitudinal data from the Southampton Women's Survey

Rachael Marsh  1 , Theodosia Salika  1 , Sarah Crozier  1 , Sian Robinson  1   2 , Cyrus Cooper  1   2 , Keith Godfrey  1   2 , Hazel Inskip  1   2 , Janis Baird  1   2 ; SWS Study Group
Affiliations

The association between crowding within households and behavioural problems in children: Longitudinal data from the Southampton Women's Survey

Rachael Marsh et al. Paediatr Perinat Epidemiol. 2019 May.

Abstract

Background: In England, nearly one child in ten lives in overcrowded housing. Crowding is likely to worsen with increasing population size, urbanisation, and the ongoing concerns about housing shortages. Children with behavioural difficulties are at increased risk of mental and physical health problems and poorer employment prospects.

Objective: To test the association between the level of crowding in the home and behavioural problems in children, and to explore what factors might explain the relationship.

Methods: Mothers of 2576 children from the Southampton Women's Survey population-based mother-offspring cohort were interviewed. Crowding was measured at age 2 years by people per room (PPR) and behavioural problems assessed at age 3 years with the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ). Both were analysed as continuous measures, and multivariable linear regression models were fitted, adjusting for confounding factors: gender, age, single-parent family, maternal education, receipt of benefits, and social class. Potential mediators were assessed with formal mediation analysis.

Results: The characteristics of the sample were broadly representative of the population in England. Median (IQR) SDQ score was 9 (6-12) and PPR was 0.75 (0.6-1). In households that were more crowded, children tended to have more behavioural problems (by 0.20 SDQ points (95% CI 0.08, 0.32) per additional 0.2 PPR, adjusting for confounding factors). This relationship was partially mediated by greater maternal stress, less sleep, and strained parent-child interactions.

Conclusions: Living in a more crowded home was associated with a greater risk of behavioural problems, independent of confounding factors. The findings suggest that improved housing might reduce childhood behavioural problems and that families living in crowded circumstances might benefit from greater support.

Keywords: behaviour; cohort study; crowding; housing tenure; parent-child interactions; strengths and difficulties score.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Janis Baird received research funding from Nutricia Early Life Nutrition for a specific research study which aims to improve the nutrition and vitamin D status of pregnant women and is collaborating with Iceland Foods Ltd to evaluate the impact of fruit and vegetable availability on diet. Keith Godfrey has received reimbursement for speaking at conferences sponsored by companies selling nutritional products and is part of academic research programmes that have received research funding from Abbott Nutrition, Nestec, and Danone.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Summary of measures of crowding and definitions of overcrowding, the association between crowding within households and behavioural problems in children, Southampton, 20197, 35
Figure 2
Figure 2
Participant flow diagram and dropout at various stages of the Southampton Women's Survey, the association between crowding within households and behavioural problems in children, Southampton, 2019
Figure 3
Figure 3
DAG model created to show covariates included in the analyses, the association between crowding within households and behavioural problems in children, Southampton, 2019
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. BMA Board of Science . Growing up in the UK ‐ Ensuring a healthy future for our children. London: BMA Publications Unit; 2013.
    1. Stevenson J, Goodman R. Association between behaviour at age 3 years and adult criminality. Br J Psychiatry. 2001;179(3):197‐202. - PubMed
    1. Stallard P. The behaviour of 3‐year‐old children: prevalence and parental perception of problem behaviour: a research note. J Child Psychol Psychiatry. 1993;34:413‐421. - PubMed
    1. Marmot M, Atkinson T, Bell J, et al. Fair Society, Healthy Lives. Strategic review of health inequalities in England post‐2010. London: The Marmot Review; 2010.
    1. Department of Communities and Local Government . English Housing Survey 2015–16 Headline report. London: DCLG; 2016.

Publication types