Courtney Wright (PhD Scholar)
Associate Professor Heidi Muenchberger
Associate Professor Jennifer A. Whitty
Griffith Health Institute, Griffith University
Presentation Outline
• Background
– Research Aims
• An Environmental Approach to Housing Design and Development
• Understanding Consumer Housing Preferences
• Methodology
• Research into Action
– Key Findings
– Implications and actions for policy makers
– Implications and actions for practice
• Acknowledgements
Research Aims
1. Identify an environmental approach to housing design and
development for improved biological, psychological, and social
(biopsychosocial) health and wellness.
2. Systematically identify housing characteristics (and preferred
combinations thereof) valued by consumers with complex
health conditions to guide future residential design and
(re)development decisions.
A new direction for disability housing:
One that is based on consumer preferences and conducive to a
person’s biopsychosocial health
An Environmental Approach to
Housing Design & Development
• Housing Context: Three key housing domains
1. Intrinsic Design
2. Location
3. Neighbourhood
• Individual viewed as a “whole”
We already know consumers have preferences regarding these
housing domains. For more information, please contact
Ms. Courtney Wright at Griffith University (ph: 07 3382 1112;
email: Courtney.wright@griffith.edu.au)
The Need for a Consumer
Preference Approach
• Properly engaging with consumers redefines disability
• A preference approach borrowed from health economics
Discrete Choice Experiment (DCE) Survey:
Example Question
Methodology
Study 1
A Literature Synthesis:
Systematic Literature
Review
Study 2
Qualitative Data Collection:
Semi-structured interviews
Participant
studies:
Mixed-method
design
Study 3
Quantitative Data
Collection:
Discrete Choice
Experiment (DCE) survey
Discrete Choice Experiment (DCE)
• Systematic Literature Review
• Qualitative Interviews (n=24)
• DCE Preference Survey (n=400+)
Study 2: Semi-Structured Interviews
(Preliminary Findings: n=15/24)
Participants:
• 15 consumers purposively sampled (QLD)
– Neurological health condition: n=8 (0 Brain Injury; 3 Spinal Cord Injury;
2 Spinal Muscular Atrophy; 1 Multiple Sclerosis; 2 Cerebral Palsy)
– Relative: n=5 (4 mothers; 1 paternal grandmother)
– Non-family carer: n=1 (support worker)
– Combined group: n=1 (person with a neurological health condition &
carer for her husband also with a neurological health condition).
• Age range: 33-79; majority female (n=10; 66.7%)
Research into Action
Key Findings – Preliminary Research Revealed:
1. Intrinsic design, location & neighbourhood
considerations imperative
2. Physical, psychological and social environments interact
to affect individuals’ biopsychosocial health
Findings supported by literature review & the housing
features mentioned by participants in Study 2
(preliminary likes, dislikes & ‘must-haves’ emerged – but
need to be tested in DCE survey)
Research into Action
Implications and actions for policy makers
• Adoption of an environmental approach to a
minimum standard of housing development for
people with disability
• Policies to ensure social housing provision (at a
minimum) informed by consumer preference
research
– Preferred housing characteristics and combinations
thereof
Research into Action
Implications and actions for practice
For key stakeholders:
• Market-relevant, viable housing solutions
For consumers:
• Choice of stable housing alternatives indicative of
consumer aspirations and priorities
• Increased self-determination
• Improved quality of life
After all, is a choice between two inappropriate
or unsuitable housing alternatives still
a choice?
Acknowledgements
This work is funded by The Department of Science, Information Technology,
Innovation and the Arts (DSITIA) on behalf of the Queensland Government
under Grant 42323 (Smart State Fellowship) and sponsored by Youngcare.
Sincere gratitude is owed to Associate Professor Heidi Muenchberger and
Associate Professor Jennifer Whitty for their ongoing excellent supervision
of this research program.
Preferred citation: Wright, C., Muenchberger, H., & Whitty, J. A. (2014). Housing
development for people with complex conditions. National Disability Insurance Scheme
Symposium, 10 June 2014. Griffith University, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.