The widening gap between disposable income and house prices is strongly correlated with poor health, preventable deaths and suicide, according to a study using data from 27 countries, including Spain, between 2000 and 2019. The research is published in the Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health.
Pedro Gullón - precio casas EN
Pedro Gullón
Social epidemiologist and doctor specialising in preventive medicine and public health at the University of Alcalá
The study expands on existing knowledge about the health risks of high housing costs. They find that countries with higher housing costs per income have higher mortality, suicides and premature mortality. However, countries' social spending and housing control measures managed to attenuate this association, so that higher social spending or better housing policies manage to eliminate part of the health effects of housing prices.
The main limitation of the study is that it is not possible to study in which people there is greater mortality due to housing prices or who benefits from social programmes.
- Research article
- Peer reviewed
Gum-Ryeong Park et al.
- Research article
- Peer reviewed
