Housing environment and women's health in a Palestinian refugee camp.
Author: Al Khatib IA, Arafat RN, Musmar M.
Source:
International Journal of Environmental Health Research, 15(3), 181-191.
This study was carried out during January and February 2002 in Al-Ein Refugee
Camp in Nablus city in Palestine. Interviews were held with 150 women of
different age groups and different marital status. The results show a positive
relationship between women's physical and mental health and housing conditions.
There is a statistically significant relationship between the family size
represented by the number of children in the household, the number of children
that sleep in one room, and the number of children that sleep in one bed, the
house size, and number of rooms and women's feeling of privacy (mental health and
well-being). Most of the houses in the camp are unhealthy and overcrowded. The
family income is very low and there is a general poor health status of women in
the camp. Most of the women do not know the conditions of a healthy house. The
study shows the importance of housing reforms on the health of the family in
general and women's health in particular, mainly in refugee camps.