Health Promotion and Disease Prevention in Public Housing Areas: A Scoping Review

Residing in public housing is associated with adverse health outcomes, partly due to higher prevalence of unhealthy lifestyle behaviors linked to lower socioeconomic status. Health promotion and disease prevention interventions can mitigate these disparities but are often underutilized due to accessibility barriers and low health literacy. Delivering interventions directly within public housing areas may enhance reach and effectiveness. However, synthesized knowledge of such interventions remains limited. This scoping review aimed to identify and summarize available evidence on health-promoting and disease-preventive interventions in these settings. The review followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews (PRIMA-ScR) guidelines. A systematic search was performed in PubMed, CINAHL, Embase, and Scopus. Articles were screened using predefined criteria. Intervention details, key findings, and digital components were extracted and categorized. 31 articles were included, covering eight intervention categories: (1) Health promoter programs, (2) Nutrition programs, (3) Health screenings, (4) Health promotion messages, (5) Physical activity programs, (6) Mental health programs, (7) Oral health programs, and (8) Other health interventions. Five articles incorporated digital components. This review highlights the value of resident involvement, demonstrated by positive outcomes in interventions with strong community engagement. Despite promising effects, digital health components were underutilized, representing a missed opportunity for scalable, cost-effective interventions.