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This review focuses on the indoor air quality (IAQ) in social housing across developing nations to identify the key factors that influence IAQ, research gaps, and opportunities for future interventions. A total of 43 studies from 2000 to 2024 were identified and categorized into the following five themes: Health and Comfort, Direct Measurements, Retrofitting and Maintenance, Comparative Studies, and Housing Conditions and Socio-Economic Factors. Residents of social housing in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) face disproportionately higher exposure to harmful pollutants, including PM2.5 (up to 1360 µg/m3 during cooking), CO (with peaks at 150 ppm), and formaldehyde (up to 4.802 ppm), often exceeding World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines. Approximately 76% of the studies were published post-2019, reflecting increased global awareness of IAQ’s health implications, improved measurement and simulation technologies, and heightened attention to indoor environments following the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite the growing body of research in this direction, most of the found studies focus on warm and humid climates, leaving gaps in the understanding of IAQ issues in other, colder climate regions. Cost-effective solutions, such as natural ventilation and adaptive architectural design, show promise, but empirical testing is lacking, especially in diverse geographical contexts. In addition, culturally driven occupant behaviors significantly influence IAQ, but remain understudied in the context of low-income residents in developing countries. There is a need for expanded research that considers regional climate differences, socio-economic factors, and occupant behavior to develop effective interventions to improve IAQ and health outcomes in these settings.
Kurmanbekova et al. (Tue,) studied this question.