This study was carried out during January and February 2002 in Al- Ein Refugee Camp in Nablus city in Palestine. Interviews were held with 150 women of different age groups and different marital status. The results show a positive relationship between women's physical and mental health and housing conditions. There is a statistically significant relationship between the family size represented by the number of children in the household, the number of children that sleep in one room, and the number of children that sleep in one bed, the house size, and number of rooms and women's feeling of privacy (mental health and well-being). Most of the houses in the camp are unhealthy and overcrowded. The family income is very low and there is a general poor health status of women in the camp. Most of the women do not know the conditions of a healthy house. The study shows the importance of housing reforms on the health of the family in general and women's health in particular, mainly in refugee camps. © 2005 Taylor & Francis Group Ltd.

Refugee camps Housing environment Palestine Women's health

Eurasia household refugee demography population density mental health human wellbeing Refugees middle aged Asia Middle East medical research housing conditions health status Aged housing Health Surveys family size Arabs Palestine Eastern Hemisphere interview Humans female Aged, 80 and over risk factor socioeconomics questionnaire Occupied Territories West Bank Article Family Relations women's health major clinical study adult World medical geography Nablus womens health