Os impactos da política de habitação e os determinantes da política de saúde: uma análise do ponto de vista do serviço social

Abstract

This study investigated the production of knowledge in the social and health sciences regarding the impacts of housing policy and health determinants on the illness of the population, from the perspective of Social Work, critically analyzing the relationship between housing conditions and health determinants, particularly in vulnerable populations. This is a qualitative, bibliographic study, involving the analysis of 32 scientific articles published between 2014 and 2024, sourced from the SciELO digital library. The results indicated that all articles (100%) pertained to the theme of "health," with 43.75% directly addressing "housing" and 56.25% addressing it indirectly. A direct and explicit connection was found between the quality of and access to housing and its impacts on health. The scientific output was multidisciplinary, with a predominance of authors from the Health Sciences. In the 14 articles that directly analyzed the housing-health relationship, the lack of basic infrastructure, such as sanitation, was a central theme (64.28%), and housing vulnerability was addressed in 92.85% of the studies. Direct correlations were identified between inadequate housing conditions and the emergence or exacerbation of communicable diseases (linked to a lack of sanitation in over 56% of the texts), respiratory illnesses (28.56%), and impacts on mental health (42.85%). Housing was reaffirmed as an important social determinant of health in 71.42% of the analyzed studies. The participation of Social Work professionals in authorship was identified in five of the 32 articles; these articles highlighted the importance of 2 intersectoral actions, a focus on decent housing and sanitation, as an integrative practice. It was concluded that a consolidated body of knowledge exists regarding the severe impacts of precarious housing conditions on health determinants and the illness of vulnerable populations, predominantly originating from the health sciences and, to a lesser extent, from applied social sciences. The specific contribution of Social Work, though qualitatively relevant, is quantitatively limited in the analyzed sample, indicating a potential area for further research development.