Deck 11: Housing and Neighbourhood

Question 1

________ pointed out that overcrowding in homes fosters stress, depression, family violence, and substance abuse.

A) Friedrich Engels
B) Karl Marx
C) Michael Marmot
D) John Snow

Answer 1

A

Question 2

"Fuel poverty" refers to ________.

A) a decline in tax revenues due to falling oil prices
B) the inability of low-income people to adequately heat their homes because of the cost of electricity and natural gas
C) the inability of some countries to reach high quality of living due to lack of oil, gas, and coal production
D) rising prices of gas in the past decades

Answer 2

B

Question 3

The following statement regarding homelessness is TRUE: ________.

A) The majority of homeless people suffer from schizophrenia or other serious mental disorders
B) Poor health, substance abuse, or disability may lead to low income which in turn leads to homelessness
C) Mental health problems are less prevalent among homeless people than among the rest of Canadians
D) The majority of homeless people choose to live on the streets

Answer 3

B

Question 4

________ is an individual variable that is associated with homelessness.

A) Income inequality
B) Economy/unemployment
C) Mental illness
D) Lack of social assistance and income support

Question 5

The following statement is FALSE: ________.

A) Mortality rates in Canada are approximately eight times higher for homeless men than for the rest of the Canadian male population
B) Mortality rates among Canadian homeless women are approximately 30 times higher than for their housed counterparts
C) The majority of homeless people in Canada are suffering from serious mental illnesses
D) Homeless people have significantly worse health than the general Canadian population

Question 6

On any given night in Canada, approximately ________ people are homeless.

A) 10,000
B) 30,000
C) 50,000
D) 100,000

Question 7

According to the text, a significant factor driving up rates of homelessness is the ________.

A) rising number of people suffering from mental illness
B) increasing popularity of an itinerant lifestyle
C) increasing number of government sponsored social housing projects
D) the housing boom

Question 8

The principal reason people are homeless is ________.

A) poor mental health and addictions
B) they cannot afford housing
C) they choose to live on the street
D) marital breakdown and job loss

Question 9

Renters have worse health than owner-occupiers. About ________ of Canadians are renters.

A) one-quarter
B) one-third
C) one half
D) two-thirds

Question 10

Differential access to services and amenities afforded by neighbourhoods affect all of the following EXCEPT ________.

A) levels and types of health-related behaviour
B) average household income
C) mental health
D) physical activity level

Question 11

According to Van Os et al., the degree of social cohesion in a neighbourhood is a predictor of ________.

A) geographic proximity to mental health facilities
B) proximity to correction services
C) rates of schizophrenia
D) average income of population

Question 12

Opportunity structure refers to ________.

A) how likely a situation gives rise to a promotion
B) how probable it is that recent immigrants will have opportunities to improve their circumstances
C) what resources a place makes available to its residents
D) what opportunities exist for personal growth

Question 13

Research examining the type of food local shops offer to residents, what prices they offer, and whether or not the residents have access to social services most likely utilizes a ________ perspective.

A) feminist
B) life-course
C) critical
D) materialist

Question 14

Deprivation amplification refers to ________.

A) pathway effects of a poor start in life
B) cumulative effects associated with the direct relationship between the opportunities a community has to offer and the income and education of its residents
C) latent effects of being raised in a poor neighbourhood
D) the combined effects of being poor and having a low-quality job

Question 15

The so-called "food desert" refers to ________.

A) lack of quality grocery stores in some, mostly poor, neighbourhoods
B) exotic foods generally coming from dry regions in Chile
C) lack of food options characteristic of countries with large deserts
D) superfoods that are particularly beneficial for people's health

Question 16

The following statement regarding disordered neighbourhoods is FALSE: ________.

A) Disordered neighbourhoods are generally more likely to have higher rates of crime
B) Disordered neighborhoods are less likely to provide support for residents
C) Disordered neighborhoods are more likely to watch over the vulnerable population (e.g. children or elderly)
D) Disordered neighborhoods have higher rates of social instability

Question 17

The observed effects in disordered neighbourhoods are coming from ________.

A) a lack of structure, predictability, and social cohesion
B) poverty
C) laziness
D) high rates of immigration

Question 18

________ refers to contexts where vulnerable people are at a high risk of neglect due to weak social integration.

A) Dangerous ecology
B) Disordered neighbourhoods
C) Deprivation amplification
D) Morbidity paradox

Question 19

________, governments in Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia all busied themselves with funding affordable housing.

A) After World War I
B) After World War II
C) Ten years ago
D) In the 1980s

Question 20

According to the text, once housing costs comprise more than ________ of a household's disposable income, that household is both housing and food insecure.

A) 10 per cent
B) 15 per cent
C) 20 per cent
D) 30 per cent

Question 21

The majority of the homeless population in Canada has serious mental illness.

Question 22

Poor neighbourhoods are by definition also disordered neighbourhoods.

Question 23

Urban design features of neighbourhoods have no impact on residents' physical activity levels.

Question 24

Neighbourhoods can provide material resources but are also important sources of personal identity and sense of belonging.

Question 25

We find persistent and positive correlation between population-level activity and obesity levels.

Question 26

Despite having one of the world's least active populations, Japan is one of the healthiest countries.

Question 27

Because housing is a relatively fixed cost, individuals living on low income would generally first pay for housing and only then invest in other things, such as food, clothing, or education.

Question 28

Poor housing is associated with poor air quality and ventilation and is a key reason why respiratory diseases track so closely with income.

Question 29

Once housing costs comprise more than 50 per cent of a household's disposable income, that household is both housing and food insecure.

Question 30

The housing boom of the past decade and a half made it easier for middle- and low-income earners to afford a house.

Question 31

Why do we consider housing a social determinant of health?

Question 32

What is the relationship between homelessness and ill health?

Question 33

What is a disordered neighbourhood? Illustrate your answer with examples.

Question 34

Why might the health and wellbeing of people in Seattle, Washington be similar to the people in Vancouver, BC and so different from people in Oakland, California?

Question 35

What are some of the key policy issues that need to be addressed to improve the housing situation in Canada?

Question 36

How do housing conditions affect health?

Question 37

Choose one of the theories covered in the textbook and demonstrate how it helps to explain why different neighbourhoods have different patterns of health and disease. Provide specific examples.

Question 38

We know that the link between physical activity and health is, to say the least, imperfect at the population level. Why does such an important risk factor explain so little of population variation?