The Impact of Physical Housing Conditions on Acute Respiratory Infection Among Toddlers in Urban-Industrial Cilegon, 2025

Acute Respiratory Infections (ARIs) remain a major public health challenge for children under five, particularly in environments with compromised residential conditions. This study aimed to determine the association between physical housing factors—residential density, ventilation, and humidity—and ARI incidence among toddlers in Bagendung, Cilegon. A cross-sectional study was conducted in 2025 among 83 under-five children selected via proportional simple random sampling. Data were obtained through structured interviews and environmental assessments at households. Variables included ARI symptoms (dependent), housing density, ventilation adequacy, and indoor humidity (independent). Univariate and bivariate analyses were conducted using the Chi-square test and Odds Ratio (OR) calculation with 95% CI. The prevalence of ARI was 56.6%. Most homes were inadequately ventilated (62.7%), had poor humidity levels (67.5%), and 45.8% were overcrowded. All three environmental factors were significantly associated with ARI incidence: unqualified residential density (p=0.000; OR=55.6), poor ventilation (p=0.000; OR=32.3), and poor humidity (p=0.000; OR=51.1). Environmental housing conditions contribute significantly to ARI among toddlers, especially when multiple risk factors co-occur. Interventions must focus on improving indoor air quality in urban-industrial settlements.