Effect of unexpected demolition announcement on health of residents

Abstract

Objective - To examine the impact of an unexpected announcement of the demolition of a housing estate on the health of the area's residents. Design - Study of general practitioner consultation rates of the estate's residents after the announcement compared with those of other areas and with those of the previous year. Setting - General practices in Runcorn, Cheshire. Patients - 17,000 patients on lists of the two group practices serving the estate and surrounding area. Main outcome measure - Relative weekly consultation rates with general practitioners. Results - The mean adjusted odds ratio for consultation was 1.2 (SD 0.12) when demolition was expected and 0.877 (0.05) when it was not (t = 5.94, p < 0.001). The difference remained after the adjustment for the fall in the estate's population was removed (t = 3.7, p < 0.01). Conclusion - Announcement of the estate's demolition adversely affected residents' health.