Impact of cold homes on child health

Improving the health of Scotland’s children is at the heart of a five-year project from the Usher Institute. The Homes, Heat and Healthy Kids study is examining how cold and poorly ventilated housing can harm the wellbeing of young people – and how to make positive changes.

The driving force is Dr Olivia (Livvy) Swann, a paediatrician based in Edinburgh. She said: “I was fed up sending children back to homes that were making them sick. “We were seeing the same kids, again and again, with chest infections. We were patching up these kids and sending them home. Then they’d come back in again.” Dr Swann spent 18 months creating the data sets she needed to start fixing the problem.

“This involved sending lots of cold calling emails,” she added. “I guess you could call me tenacious or stubborn!”

 

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Determined

Her tenacity is paying off – the data being gathered will paint a clearer picture of the state of child health and guide policy decisions. The study focuses on children under five. Dr Swann said a five-year-old child in Scotland will have around 25 planned NHS interactions.

At each one, their address is recorded, so the study can see where a child has lived and if there are issues related to a particular location. Chest infections at an early age can lead to lifelong health issues.

People have a higher risk of developing asthma and dying from respiratory problems if they have chest problems in childhood. Dr Swann’s team is producing new data infrastructure – a pathway other people can use.

Once the methodology for children has been completed, it could also be used to answer other questions, such as how cold homes affect the elderly, or the impact of poor heating on levels of heart attacks and strokes. The team is also linking smart meter data from homes and information on a home’s energy efficiency. They can see the energy being used and how much should be used.

 

Collaboration

Dr Swann has a wealth of knowledge at her fingertips at the Usher Institute. She said: “It’s a great melting pot of different people doing different things. There’s a real focus on making society better through health data.”

The Usher Institute also works closely with other groups in the DDI, such as DataLoch, which brings together health and social care data to improve NHS services.

Dr Swann said: “They are a wonderful group who have helped me produce pilot data to get funding for the project. I couldn’t do this study without them.”

An early sign of the high levels of interest in the project came in May 2025, when about 130 people attended the Healthy Homes, Healthy Kids event at the Usher Institute. The event featured discussions about how best to ensure that housing protects children from illness and included personal video stories from families affected by living in cold homes.

Dr Swann has been “blown away” by the interest in the project, adding: “This is a real testament to how strongly people feel about this topic and the desire for change.”

 

Meaningful

Dr Swann has worked with families with experience of living in cold homes via the Parent Group, which has members across Scotland. She said: “They have worked with us from the start to make sure we were asking questions that were important to them, not just questions I think are important.”

Parent Group member Gloria Odhi lives in Drumchapel, north-west Glasgow. She said: “My daughter has health issues related to cold weather, so this project is personally meaningful.”

Ms Odhi has co-produced an animation about cold homes and child health and has made a powerful personal video in which she speaks about living in cold homes. The Parent Group has also used its work and expertise for this project to gain an SQF Level 5 in Community Leadership.

Ms Odhi said: “Cold homes affect people’s health and wellbeing. “By sharing real experiences, this study helps everyone to understand the challenges families face. It will make a positive impact on people’s lives.”

 

Visit the project’s website at homesheatandhealthykids.github.io