title: Making Homes Healthy: International Code Council Processes and Patterns.
abstract: Americans spend more than 90% of their time indoors, so it is important that homes are healthy environments. Yet many homes contribute to preventable illnesses via poor air quality, pests, safety hazards, and others. Efforts have been made to promote healthy housing through code changes, but results have been mixed. In support of such efforts, we analyzed International Code Council's (ICC) building code change process to uncover patterns of content and context that may contribute to successful adoptions of model codes.
  
  
  
  Discover patterns of facilitators and barriers to code amendments proposals.
  
  
  
  Mixed methods study of ICC records of past code change proposals. N = 2660.
  
  
  
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  There were 4 possible outcomes for each code proposal studied: accepted as submitted, accepted as modified, accepted as modified by public comment, and denied.
  
  
  
  We found numerous correlates for final adoption of model codes proposed to the ICC. The number of proponents listed on a proposal was inversely correlated with success. Organizations that submitted more than 15 proposals had a higher chance of success than those that submitted fewer than 15. Proposals submitted by federal agencies correlated with a higher chance of success. Public comments in favor of a proposal correlated with an increased chance of success, while negative public comment had an even stronger negative correlation.
  
  
  
  To increase the chance of success, public health officials should submit their code changes through internal ICC committees or a federal agency, limit the number of cosponsors of the proposal, work with (or become) an active proposal submitter, and encourage public comment in favor of passage through their broader coalition.
authors.affiliation: School of Public Policy, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta.
authors.forename: Edward C
authors.initials: EC
authors.lastname: Coyle
authors.forename: Kimberley R
authors.initials: KR
authors.lastname: Isett
authors.forename: Joseph
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Rondone
authors.forename: Rebecca
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Harris
authors.forename: M Claire Batten
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Howell
authors.forename: Katherine
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Brandus
authors.forename: Gwendolyn
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Hughes
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kerfoot
authors.forename: Diana
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Hicks
mesh_terms: D016902:Air Pollution, Indoor / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006798:Housing / Q000592:standards* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D038622:Internationality; D016015:Logistic Models; D010571:Pest Control / Q000592:standards / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012449:Safety / Q000592:standards* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D014481:United States