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The poor in most developing countries are found among four identifiable economic groups,
the rural landless, the small farmers, the urban underemployed and the unemployed.
Generally, the poor are disproportionately located in rural areas and slums in urban areas.
The urban poor in Sub-Saharan Africa especially the West Africa region experience difficult
time. This research work examined the poor housing condition and its health implication on
residential dwellers in Ajeromi ifelodun local government area of Lagos State. The
objectives of the study are to examine the socio economic characteristic of the residents in
the study area; examine the type and quality of facilities in these houses; examine the
existing housing condition (physical structure); examine the environmental quality
surrounding these houses; and examine the relationship between poverty and housing in the
study area. The methodology adopted includes the use of both primary and secondary data.
The survey covered the study area and its environment. Stratified random sampling
technique was used in the administration of questionnaires based on the income of
respondents that is, high, middle and low income area. The respondents consist of males and
females. The questionnaires addressed issues concerning respondents socio-economic
characteristic, physical environment and level of infrastructural facilities. A total of 150
questionnaires were administered and the data obtained were analyzed with the use of both
descriptive and simple statistical analysis. The findings revealed that poverty result in the
poor health of the residents due to exposure to pollution of different forms. It also has
adverse impact on the lives of people and housing condition. Among suggestions made were
poverty alleviation programmes, provision of an effective loan scheme, partial upgrading,
effective urban development policy, and improvement of sanitary conditions and
enforcement of housing and building codes. If all these suggestions were adhered to there
could be tremendous improvement in the standard of living and housing condition in
Ajeromi Ifelodun Local Government Area of Lagos State.
Key words: Poverty, housing, environment.
POOR HOUSING CONDITION AND ITS HEALTH IMPLICATION ON
RESIDENTIAL DWELLERS IN AJEROMI IFELODUN LOCAL GOVERNMENT
AREA OF LAGOS STATE.
1.1CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
Before now poor housing condition has been a low priority on research and development
agenda of most Nigerian researchers. (Aluko 2008) For over two decades, these have been
dominated by rural development and rural poverty. The recent renewed interest in urban
issues has been due to the widespread idea that urbanization is speeding up. At the end of the
year 2000 about half the worlds population lived in urban area, in 1975. This was only 28%.
In 1994, it has increased to 37% and it is projected to be 57% in 2005 (United Nations
Organization 2006).
Poverty is a complex multi-dimensional problem that cast long shadows over many areas of
existence. Poverty is a global phenomenon which affects contingents nations and people
differently. It affects people in various depth and levels at different times and phase of
existence. Poverty is the condition that is said to exist when the people lack to satisfy their
needs, the basic needs refers to those needs necessary. Poor survival, the effect of poverty is
harmful both to the individual and the environment. The Central Bank of Nigeria (1999)
describes poverty as a state where an individual is not able to carter adequately for his o her
basic needs of food, clothing and shelter and is unable to meet social and economic
obligation, lack of gainful employment skills assets, self esteem and limited access to social
and economic infrastructure such as condition, health, portable water and sanitization and so
consequently has limited chance for his or her capabilities.
The most pathetic feature of the Nigerian society today is that a majority of its members are
living in a state of destitution while the remaining relatively insignificant minorities are
living in affluence. These skewed economic relations do not reflect. The geographic spread
of resource endowment rather it is product of classical/ greed, injustice and selfishness,
which is beyond any economic status because of difference in opportunities and constraints
but what is happening in our society defined too much from this. The poor in most
developing countries are to be found among four identifiable economic groups the rural
landless, the small farmers, the urban unemployed. Generally, the poor in sub-Saharan
African especially in West Africa especially in West Africa region experience difficult time.
The episode of international adjustment programme clearly harmed the urban poor group the
most, despite the government intention to protect the incomes of the urban groups especially
the elites. Even if the very wealthy groups have benefited from adjustments programmes, the
majority of the urban population was hit badly by the policy induced recession. The
incidence of urban poverty increased for both public sectors.
In terms of health condition in the study area the most prevalent disease and the ecological
problem identified in the area is the problem of malaria fever, accounting for 26.6%. Others
in their order of magnitudes include typhoid fever, flooding, cholera, dysentery and some
communicable diseases prevalent in the topics.
Their identified causative factors include inadequate sanitary services (57.4%), poor water
supply (14.8%), dirty environment (14.8%) overcrowding (12.2%) and poor drainage system
(0.9%). Other health issue investigated involved the availability of any within their reach.
They are either located far away from their dwellings or completely absent. Only 26.1% are
sure of having at least a chemist store of having or a mini health clinic within their
neighborhood, thus, low level health care and environmental condition.
UNCH (1997) described poverty as a sprawling cities of the world, once symbols of
progress, prosperity and hope are increasingly turning into cites of despair for an even large
share of humanity. In some cities in the world more than half or the population lives in slums
and squatter settlement. Most people living on such conditions also face another problems,
continuous unemployment and under employment. Most cities and towns are unable to keep
pace with the staggering urban population growth and cannot provide sufficient job
opportunity or adequate shelter.
The urban poor bear the great burdens of urban environmental risk because of the situation in
which they are forced to live whether in sprawling squatter settlements of cities or in the
blighted urban centre of Lagos State. There are number of problems associated with poor
housing condition in Ajeromi Ifelodun Local Govt area of Lagos State which have become
deplorable and constituted nuisance to the environment. These include environmental
deterioration, housing deterioration, facilities overload, slum creation, squatter housing,
overcrowding and social spatial disorderliness among others. Therefore, this research is to
examine how poor housing condition and its health implication can be reduced in order to
improve housing conditions in Ajeromi Ifelodun Local Govt. Area of Lagos State
Housing on the other hand is the second most important essential needs of man after food.
Housing in its entire ramification is more than shelter and it embraces all social services and
utilities that lead to worthy living.
Housing first and foremost functions has the physical protection it offers man and his
domestic companion against cultural hazards in his physical environment. Poverty creates
slum and change the past term of houses which causes appearance of informal activities,
which in turn change the land use have an impact on physical structures, infrastructural
facilities and services, socio-economic values and even the psyche of the residents of the
area. The extermination of the impact of all these changes on housing situations is the
essence of this study.
Quality housing in rural areas tends to raise the standard of living of the rural dwellers and
check the flow of the rural people to urban areas. It could encourage population movement
from the already congested urban areas to rural areas. In some rural areas, serious
environmental problems arise in and around peoples homes, often creating health hazards.
Inadequate sanitation, insufficient or contaminated water, uncollected solid waste and insect
infestation are all correlated with rural poverty and lack of environmental services.
Respiratory infections and diarrhea diseases are two major killers that have been linked to
inadequate home and neighbourhood environments (Nicol, 2006).
To achieve the aim and objectives of the study the following questions
Were put forward:
2. What factors are responsible for the housing condition of the residents in the study
area?
3. What is the relationship between the housing conditions of the residents and the
residents and the health of the residents in the study area?
4. What are the significant effects of poor condition housing on the life of the residents
in the study area?
5 what is the implication of poor housing condition in the environment in the study
area?
The aim of this study is to examine the poor housing conditions and its health implication on
residential dwellers in Lagos State. To achieve the aim the following objectives will be
pursued on residential dwellers:
To achieve the aim and objectives of the study the following questions
Were put forward:
2. To examine the factors are responsible for the housing condition of the residents in the
study area.
3. To examine the relationship between the housing conditions of the residents and the
residents and the health of the residents in the study area.
4. To examine the significant effects of poor condition housing on the life of the
residents in the study area?
5 To examine the implication of poor housing condition in the environment in the study
area.
To arrive at veritable findings and conclusions, the following hypothesis were formulated:
Ho: There is no relationship between housing condition and state of health of the residential
property dwellers in the study area.
Residential dwellers: People living in a particular place or environment sharing the same
thing in common.
Ajeromi Ifelodun: Ajeromi ifelodun is a local government area in Lagos house to a number
of low income earners and blighted structures and also poor housing conditions.
Poverty: The state of being extremely poor or the state of being inferior in quality or
inefficient in amount.
CHAPTER TWO
2.1LITERATURE REVIEW
The World Bank estimated that in 1988 approximately one quarter of the developing worlds
absolute poor was living in urban area (World Bank, 2001). By the year 2015 half of the
developing worlds absolute poor will be in urban area. Several factors, including structural
adjustment programmes (SAP), economic crises and massive rural-urban migration have
contributed to an increasing number of urban poor. The resource and environment of urban
centre all over the world is increasingly being depleted as a result of pressure from the
conception of people. The effect of this pressure is more visible in the cities 3rd world
countries where the cities have failed to sustain their population than in the more developed
world even though cities are expected to serve as engines of growth and development
(Aluko, 2008, 2000). In these urban centres, there are rapidly growing number of individuals
who have no access to the basic things of life needed for their survival and welfare. They are
therefore most marginalized or excluded from benefiting from the service provided by the
cities. The most marginalized of the groups are the urban poor and their situation is made
more critical by degraded environment in which they live.
Urban poverty is the scourge of most cities of third world countries, although regional
differences exist in the third world countries, in all cases urban poverty has been on the
increase, the physical and human dimension of poverty are clearly manifested in the
grooving number of rural refugee, unemployment, homeless, the uneducated, the pavement
dweller, the slum and shanty town confined and inhabiting large area of degraded
environment un-served by basic urban facility, utilities and services by basic urban facility,
utilities and services (Aluko, 2003). The urban poor are families or individuals living below
the poverty line who are distinguished by characteristic such as unemployment,
underdevelopment, lack of or inadequate access to basic service such as water, electricity,
health and education and lack of nutrition food, shelter, clothing and access to information
and new technologies needed for their survival. The situation of urban poor is further
aggravated by the difficult and degraded environmental conditions in which they live which
are easily prone to various forms of disaster.
Recently there have been an increasing amount of research and publications on the influence
of living conditions on the health of occupants (Braubach & Bonnefoy, 2001; Mackenbach &
Howden-Chapman, 2002; Thomson et al., 2003). However, Lawrence (2000) contends that
housing and health issues have still not been well understood in terms of both the positive
and the negative impacts on health and well-being. Scholars have also called for an extended
view of housing and health, integrating the mental and social aspects of housing as a
fundamental setting for living (Dunn, 2000; Williams, 2002). Rapoport (1995) argues that an
adequate home is a special place for its inhabitants. It represents a safe physical harbour
for the individual, and mentally provides an opportunity for retreat from the outside world
and its pressures. Thus, a more holistic approach is needed to understand the wide range of
interactions between place and health (Williams, 1998). The review of academic literature by
Cohen
(2011) revealed ten hypotheses regarding the contribution of affordable housing to health.
These are:
Affordable housing may improve health outcomes by freeing up family resources for
nutritious food and health care expenditures.
By providing families with greater residential stability, affordable housing can reduce stress
and related adverse health outcomes.
Stable, affordable homeownership may positively impact mental health by increasing the
control that homeowners have over their physical environment and minimizing the
disruptions associated with frequent, unwanted moves. However, the stress and disruption
associated with mortgage defaults and foreclosures suggest that unsustainable forms of
homeownership may have strong negative impacts on health.
By alleviating crowding, affordable housing can reduce exposure to stressors and infectious
disease, leading to improvements in physical and mental health.
By allowing victims of domestic violence to escape abusive homes, affordable housing can
lead to improvements in mental health and physical safety.
Use of green building strategies reduces environmental pollutants, lowers monthly energy
costs, and improves home comfort and indoor environmental quality.
Bonnefor et al (2004) concluded from the study based on empirical data collected from 259
dwellings and 601 residents, that several housing conditions do have impact on the health
perception of their residents. Noise annoyance is recognized as one of the most prevalent
problems affecting residential health and wellbeing. However, it proved difficult to identify
an aspect having an overall dominant influence on health. The survey clearly indicated the
effect of rehabilitation work on residential satisfaction, and raised expectations that housing
improvements can lead to better health. Nicol (2006) in his work on eight European cities
identified a definite relationship between damp/moldy homes and anxiety/depression and
migraine/frequent headaches from the group of chronic illnesses; diarrhea and cold/throat
illnesses from the group of acute illnesses; and asthma, wheezing, eczema, watery eyes/eye
inflammation, headaches from the list of symptoms. He however cautioned that this
relationship does not imply cause and effect. Many illnesses appear to be mental conditions,
and even the physical symptoms are of the sort which could be regarded as being the
emotional response to circumstances such as feeling trapped in poor housing. It is evident
from literature that current awareness of the housing-health-relationship varies from country
to country. This is due to housing stock differences and climatic conditions, and a product of
different policies and scientific knowledge. For instance, the UK has recognized that safety
hazards represent a major housing and health problem in its housing stock (Raw and
Hamilton, 1995). This is a result of matching and analysing health, safety and house
condition datasets. However, a housing and health symposium arranged by WHO in June
2001 showed that next to the awareness, the priority of problems differs strongly from
country to country, as they are influenced by cultural, social, economic, building, climatic
and geographic factors (WHO, 2001). Therefore, solutions to reduce or remove hazards will
vary internationally depending on the cause and on buildings factors in different peculiar
environment.
Iv OVERCROWDING:
The epidemiology of respiratory infections (including pneumonia, influenza and acute upper
respiratory infections) was reviewed by Graham (1990). Many risk factors have been
investigated: outdoor and indoor pollution, smoking, crowding, nutrition, psychosocial
stress, climate, SES, etc. Crowding as a risk factor has been investigated dating back to the
1920s and 1930s (e.g. Woods 1927) when mortality was frequently used as an outcome
measure. More recent studies (e.g. Leeder et al 1976, Monto et al 1977, Gardner et al 1984)
showed that the number of sibs in the family was a predictor of respiratory morbidity.
Collins et al (1971) reviewed respiratory mortality in England and Wales from 1958-64 and
found that crowding was correlated with all-cause, bronchopneumonia and all respiratory
disease mortality in the 0-1 year old whereas for the 1-4, 5-14, only accidents were
correlated. Other infectious diseases commonly associated with crowding include
tuberculosis (Britten 1941, Schmitt 1955, McMillan 1957, Coetzee et al 1988), meningitis
(Blum & Elkin 1949, Ghipponi et al 1971, Stuart et al 1988) and measles (Aaby et al 1984).
Among non-communicable diseases which have been shown to be related to housing is
rheumatic heart disease (Quinn et al 1948), which in fact is the sequelae of streptococcal
infection. Of particular interest is Barkers (1990) study of stomach cancer, which was found
to be related to earlier exposure to crowding during childhood. The authors attributed this to
poor food storage, which leads to contamination with microorganisms and the production of
toxic/carcinogenic substances. Scabies is caused by the burrowing of a mite in the skin.
Among risk factors associated with its transmission are SES, personal hygiene and
overcrowding (Green 1987). As intrafamily spread is well recognized (Church et al 1978), it
is to be expected that increased family size should be a risk factor (Sharma 1984), although
other behavioral factors may be important such as sleeping pattern and the sharing of towels
and clothes
(Gulati et al 1977, Blumenthal 1976). Michael (1984) studied the impact of water supply,
sanitation and housing on health in the Northwest Territories. He did two studies, an ecologic
one involving all communities in the NWT using official statistics, and a field study in three
communities where more detailed information on individuals was obtained. For housing,
rates of respiratory, skin
and eye diseases were found to be higher in crowded houses (as measured by household size
and number of persons per bedroom). No relations was found with housing type (detached,
movable homes, etc) or tenure (government, private, rental). Two studies looked specifically
at infant health outcomes. The NWT Perinatal and Infant Mortality and Morbidity Study
(PIMMS) followed a birth cohort of 1191 infants during 12 months in 1973/74 (Spady
1982). A large amount of data on socioeconomic status, health care, lifestyle, nutrition,
obstetrical history, child care practices, and environmental quality (crowding and clean
housing) were collected. The outcomes include all significant health events (death, disease,
and developmental score) during the first year of life. Those housing and sanitation factors
which emerged as independent predictors of various health outcomes in multiple regression
analyses are listed as follows:
measure of poor health), overcrowding also correlated with low SES and a perception that
the house was in need of core repairs. This study would suggest that the poorest residents of
northern communities also live in the most crowded housing and these conditions combine to
put them at increased risk for a multitude of health problems. Rosenberg et al (1997) report
that an epidemic of shigellosis, a highly infectious diarrheal disease, was highly correlated
with overcrowding and lack of sanitary conditions in 61 First Nations communities in
Manitoba. This finding is particularly significant since shigellosis has all but disappeared in
developed countries. The incidence rate during the epidemic in First Nations communities
was 29 times higher than for the rest of the population and the hospitalization rate for the
disease was 12.2 times higher. Compared with houses with two to three persons, the attack
rate ratios for houses with 4 to 8 persons ranged from 4.0 to 7.7.
In the last decade there has been an explosion of interest in the relationship between
dampness and moulds in houses and health conditions. Achesons (1991) review described
the clear link between respiratory infections in both children and adults and damp and
mould, and he stated clearly that this relationship had been shown to be independent of
smoking, income, unemployment or the presence of pets based on studies by Platt et al
(1989); Martin et al (1987) and others. Atcheson (1991) describes several pathways through
which dampness and mould can affect health. Maintaining body temperature, particularly for
children, can be a problem if clothes and bedding become wet. Moisture also promotes the
growth of pathogens such as moulds, mites, viruses and bacteria of various kinds. The
connection between dampness and mould growth has received the most attention because
moulds may be responsible for respiratory problems such as asthma, rhinitus, aveolitus and
other allergies. Mite infestations are also promoted in damp conditions and are also
associated with allergies and asthma. Verhoeff and Burge (1997) report in a more recent
review that fungi also produce toxic metabolites which are human carcinogens, and a variety
of volatiles (e.g., alcohols, aldehydes and ketones) which may produce headache, eye, nose
and throat irritation and fatigue. This review also summarizes the major population-based
studies that address the association between exposure to fungi in the home and health effects.
This review is reproduced as Table II. Verhoeff and Burge (1997: 552) conclude that Fungi
do contribute to allergenic disease and the extent of their involvement is
probably greater than is indicated by the available clinical and epidemiological studies.
Dales et al (1997) conducted a study in Wallaceburg, Ontario where a questionnaire was
combined with an engineering assessment of 403 families in an attempt to demonstrate a
stronger causal association between the presence of fungi and respiratory illness. Despite
study design problems, results indicated a relatively high correlation between self-reports of
the presence of fungi and the engineering reports. Most studies of dampness and moulds
have focused on damp raining climates (such as England). Pirhonen et al (1996) analysed the
prevalence of mouldy homes and their association with respiratory symptoms and iseases in
a sub-arctic town in Finland and found that up to 23% of homes had some evidence of mould
infestations. The study also found high odds ratios that bronchitis (2.04), hoarseness (2.23)
and difficulty in concentration (2.17) were strongly associated with living in a damp home.
Other health problems included common colds, fever and chills, allergic rhinitus, fatigue,
and stomach
aches. Verhoeff et al (1995) found that childhood respiratory illnesses were associated with
living in damp homes and found reasonably strong evidence to suggest that allergic
sensitization to moulds and dust mites was the causal factor. Packer et al (1994) also report a
strong association between damp housing and ill health in children and provide evidence to
suggest the relationship is not the result of people with respiratory illness moving to poor
housing. Dales et al (1991a, 1991b) conducted a large questionnaire based study in 1988 of
thirty Canadian communities on behalf of Health Canada and found strong unbiased
evidence that the presence of indoor moulds and dampness are
associated with many adverse health effects in Canadian children and adults. In general, this
evidence suggests that children are at particular risk for a variety of
respiratory problems and allergies in damp homes with high levels of mould and mite
infestations.
dilapidated housing because these problems generally do not occur outside of third world
situations or urban slums. In these conditions, the focus is less on specific housing conditions
and health and is more on broader structural issues such as urban renewal or social
inequality. Needless to say, it is a Canadian embarrassment that the majority of literature in
this general area describes situations in Aboriginal communities. In Saskatchewan, Dennis
and Pearson, (1978) correlated provincial health insurance plan hospital data with
community profiles of central heating, running water and crowding. Indian hospital
admission rates were higher than provincial average for most diagnoses, particularly
pneumonia, burns, intestinal and skin infections. The 10 reserves with the highest proportion
of homes with central heating had lower respiratory disease admission rates in the under-5
population than the other reserves. There was no significant difference in terms of intestinal
and skin infections between the 10 reserves with the highest proportion of homes with piped
water supply and the others. There was a correlation between population density (in 3
categories) and hospital rates of intestinal, skin and middle ear infections, and burns in all
age groups. Duxbury (1983) determined the relative influence of environmental (housing,
socioeconomic status, degree of community control, social disintegration) vs. medical care
factors (types and availability of personnel and facilities) on reported morbidity in Indian
communities in the Sioux Lookout Zone of northwestern Ontario. There were a total of 103
independent variables in the factor analysis. The logs maintained by nurses
and community health workers, the first-contact primary care providers in these
communities, served as the source of health data. These logs were developed as part of the
evaluation of a telemedicine project and were standardized across all communities. From
these the total number of patients visits, the total number of reported episodes of illness, the
total number of reported episodes of respiratory illness and trauma were determined and used
as dependent variables. It was found that, compared to community and environmental
factors, health service
reserves, Brocklehurst (1985) selected 13 remote northern, western and southern reserves in
Manitoba. Morbidity data pertaining to water-related diseases (intestinal and skin infections)
were derived from a variety of sources: nursing station visits, communicable disease
notifications, and hospitalization and physician services from the Manitoba Health Services
Commission. Water supply and sanitation data were obtained by household questionnaires
and interviews. An average water consumption index and a servicing score related to water
quality, convenience and system reliability were developed for each community. The
servicing score was almost linearly related to water consumption, except at the upper and
lower ends of the scale.
Plots of hospitalization rates by water consumption showed that rates for both enteric and
skin diseases declined rapidly with increasing consumption, leveling off at a consumption
level of about 90 lpcd, where hospital rates began to approach provincial averages. The
authors recommended that system improvement should be implemented which make a daily
consumption of at least 90 litres per person possible. The present system of trucked delivery
to small containers should be discontinued. Bruce (1991) modeled hospital utilization by
Manitoba First Nations people in an ecological study which included a large number of
housing, geographical isolation, demographic, socioeconomic, and health care variables. All
2-digit categories of diseases
The concept of habitability reveals the level of satisfaction derived by the tenants or
residents. In order to evaluate housing habitability, there are several research approaches that
can be adopted, all based on users reaction. This concepts reveals that housing is more
than shelter and looks at the interaction of four main subsystem; tenant (man),
shelter/dwelling, environment and institutional management which interact actively to
produce the level of satisfaction and the level of satisfaction in turn determines the level of
housing needs in a given place (Onibokun, 1985). However , habitability, as used in the
system approach, assume the fact that what constitute habitability varies according to the
ambient circumstance and as such the habitability of a housing at a particular point in time
can only be defined meaningfully in the relative terms or sense rather than to the absolute
sense. Considering man who is the occupant of the house for instance, some of his socio-
economic characteristics such as marital status, family size, income level and others need to
be examined. In addition, the culture of the group to which the occupants belong should be
given adequate attention.
Considering the shelter aspect of the concept, there is need to study the adequacy or
otherwise of the physical design of the house in terms of ventilation, number of rooms, size
of rooms, toilet and storage facilities and the enhancement of privacy of individual and the
family. Thus, a house is inadequate if the provision of sewage disposal is not available or
faulty. Similarly, a house with water closest toilet system but constantly runs short of water
supply reveals a bad situation. Considering the institutional arrangement, this composed of
the management and maintenance of housing. For example, one can talk about how reliable
the essential services will enhance healthy living. Also, there is need to consider the
availability of protective services such as police, security, mortgage service and cleanness of
the neighbourhood by the relevant authority. Considering the environmental sub-system of
the concept, this tends to emphasize the role of physical planning in housing and the
provision of environmental facilities such as open space, parking space, recreation, good
roads, shopping centres and other amenities like school, post office, club, cinema, night club
and so on. Also, the beauty of the environment needs to be considered. Thus, one of the most
outstanding
environmental problems associated with the pattern of residential landuse in rural areas is the
predominance of sub- standard housing built largely in areas having no accessible streets.
Public Education: There is need for public enlightenment about the causal relationship
between housing condition and healthy living. This will go a long way to improve the health
of the people. This could be done by the local government through the sanitation workers
working as extension officers to enlighten the public of the importance of maintaining
healthy environment and ensuring that minimum requirements for healthy housing are
observed. Financial assistance to the residents: Government at all levels should make soft
loans available to rural residents for erecting healthy housing units. Such loans should be
monitored and properly processed to prevent misuse and mismanagement. Such a loan could
also be procured to rehabilitate and renovate buildings to the required standard. Housing
policy: Government at the three levels should work together to design and implement
housing policies that will ensure easy access to affordable, adequate and safe housing for all.
Design of master or development plan: One of the crucial tools of physical planning is the
master plan. The two villages have no master plan that will specify the direction of
development and give specification for structures in the towns. This led to unregulated and
uncoordinated development which allowed the erection of sub-standard and unhealthy
buildings in dirty environments. It is imperative that master plan be designed for the towns to
regulate their growth and direct their development.
Viii OVERCROWDING:
Loring 1966).
The epidemiology of respiratory infections (including pneumonia, influenza and acute upper
respiratory infections) was reviewed by Graham (1990). Many risk factors have been
investigated: outdoor and indoor pollution, smoking, crowding, nutrition, psychosocial
stress, climate, SES, etc. Crowding as a risk factor has been investigated dating back to the
1920s and 1930s (e.g. Woods 1927) when mortality was frequently used as an outcome
measure. More recent studies (e.g. Leeder et al 1976, Monto et al 1977, Gardner et al 1984)
showed that the number of sibs in the family was a predictor of respiratory morbidity.
Collins et al (1971) reviewed respiratory mortality in England and Wales from 1958-64 and
found that crowding was correlated with all-cause, bronchopneumonia and all respiratory
disease mortality in the 0-1 year old whereas for the 1-4, 5-14, only accidents were
correlated. Other infectious diseases commonly associated with crowding include
tuberculosis (Britten 1941, Schmitt 1955, McMillan 1957, Coetzee et al 1988), meningitis
(Blum & Elkin 1949, Ghipponi et al 1971, Stuart et al 1988) and measles (Aaby et al 1984).
Among non-communicable diseases which have been shown to be related to housing is
rheumatic heart disease (Quinn et al 1948), which in fact is the sequela of streptococcal
infection. Of particular interest is Barkers (1990) study of stomach cancer, which was found
to be related to earlier exposure to crowding during childhood. The authors attributed this to
poor food storage, which leads to contamination with microorganisms and the production of
toxic/carcinogenic substances. Scabies is caused by the burrowing of a mite in the skin.
Among risk factors associated with its transmission are SES, personal hygiene and
overcrowding (Green 1987). As interfamily spread is well recognized (Church et al 1978), it
is to be expected that increased family size should be a risk factor (Sharma 1984), although
other behavioral factors may be important such as sleeping pattern and the sharing of towels
and clothes (Gulati et al 1977, Blumenthal 1976). Michael (1984) studied the impact of water
supply, sanitation and housing on health in the Northwest Territories. He did two studies, an
ecologic one involving all communities in the NWT using official statistics, and a field study
in three communities where more detailed information on individuals was obtained. For
housing, rates of respiratory, skin and eye diseases were found to be higher in crowded
houses (as measured by household size and number of persons per bedroom). No relation
was found with housing type (detached, movable homes, etc) or tenure (government, private,
and rental). Two studies looked specifically at infant health outcomes. The NWT Perinatal
and Infant Mortality and Morbidity Study (PIMMS) followed a birth cohort of 1191 infants
during 12 months in 1973/74 (Spady 1982). A large amount of data on socioeconomic status,
health care, lifestyle, nutrition, obstetrical history, child care practices, and environmental
quality (crowding and clean housing) were collected. The outcomes include all significant
health events (death, disease, and developmental score) during the first year of life. Those
housing and sanitation factors which emerged as independent predictors of various health
outcomes in multiple regression analyses are listed as follows:
Outcome Measure Housing/Sanitation Factor Infant mortality bedrooms/home
In the international literature, few studies address problems of poor sanitation or dilapidated
housing because these problems generally do not occur outside of third world situations or
urban slums. In these conditions, the focus is less on specific housing conditions and health
and is more on broader structural issues such as urban renewal or social inequality. Needless
to say, it is a Canadian embarrassment that the majority of literature in this general area
describes situations in Aboriginal communities. In Saskatchewan, Dennis and Pearson,
(1978) correlated provincial health insurance plan hospital data with community profiles of
central heating, running water and crowding. Indian hospital admission rates were higher
than provincial average for most diagnoses, particularly pneumonia, burns, intestinal and
skin infections. The 10 reserves with the highest proportion of homes with central heating
had lower respiratory disease admission rates in the under-5 population than the other
reserves. There was no significant difference in terms of intestinal and skin infections
between the 10 reserves with the highest proportion of homes with piped water supply and
the others. There was a correlation between population density (in 3 categories) and hospital
rates of intestinal, skin and middle ear infections, and burns in all age groups. Duxbury
(1983) determined the relative influence of environmental (housing, socioeconomic status,
degree of community control, social disintegration) vs. medical care factors (types and
availability of personnel and facilities) on reported morbidity in Indian communities in the
Sioux Lookout Zone of northwestern Ontario. There were a total of 103 independent
variables in the factor analysis. The logs maintained by nurses
and community health workers, the first-contact primary care providers in these
communities, served as the source of health data. These logs were developed as part of the
evaluation of a telemedicine project and were standardized across all communities. From
these the total number of patients visits, the total number of reported episodes of illness, the
total number of reported episodes of respiratory illness and trauma were determined and used
as dependent variables. It was found that, compared to community and environmental
factors, health service factors were relatively unimportant in predicting the level of morbidity
in a community. Housing and sanitation, however, were not as significant compared to
socioeconomic variables. One explanation offered by Duxbury was that there was too little
variation in the generally poor quality of housing and sanitation among the communities, and
thus their effect on reported illness was not apparent. To examine the links between water
supply and sanitation and health on First Nations reserves, Brocklehurst (1985) selected 13
remote northern, western and southern reserves in Manitoba. Morbidity data pertaining to
water-related diseases (intestinal and skin infections) were derived from a variety of sources:
nursing station visits, communicable disease notifications, and hospitalization and physician
services from the Manitoba Health Services Commission. Water supply and sanitation data
were obtained by household questionnaires and interviews. An average water consumption
index and a servicing score related to water quality, convenience and system reliability were
developed for each community. The servicing score was almost linearly related to water
consumption, except at the upper and lower ends of the scale.
Plots of hospitalization rates by water consumption showed that rates for both enteric and
skin diseases declined rapidly with increasing consumption, leveling off at a consumption
level of about 90 lpcd, where hospital rates began to approach provincial averages. The
authors recommended that system improvement should be implemented which make a daily
consumption of at least 90 litres per person possible. The present system of trucked delivery
to small containers should be discontinued. Bruce (1991) modeled hospital utilization by
Manitoba First Nations people in an ecological study which included a large number of
housing, geographical isolation, demographic, socioeconomic, and health care variables. All
2-digit categories of diseases
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
3.1 INTRODUCTION
This chapter provides details on the method for conducting the study. Areas considered include the research design,
the population, the sample and the technique for its selection, the research instrument, data collection procedure and
data analysis procedure. The chapter concludes with the statistical techniques utilized for the data analysis.
Sample size determination is the act of observations to include in a statistical sample. The sample size is an
important feature of any empirical study in which the goal is to make inferences about a population from a sample
frame. The sample size used in a study is determined based on the expense of data collection, and the need to have
sufficient statistical power. In complicated studies there may be several different sample sizes involved in the study.
Practically speaking, sample size can be determined with the use of a formula (as used in this research) or by
objective and deliberate selection so as to ensure adequacy of the sample units assessed and also the marginal error
and confidence level (of the sample units assessed), should be taken into consideration.
This was done in order to arrive at an efficient estimate from each respondent who is situated within the study area.
The method of determination of sample size adopted is the Taro Yamani formula, which is used for a finite or infinite
population. The formula is given as:
n = N / 1 + N (e) 2
Where;
N=150/ (1+150(0.05)2)
N=150/ (1+1)
150/2
N=75
2. To examine the factors are responsible for the housing condition of the residents in the study area.
3. To examine the relationship between the housing conditions of the residents and the residents and the health of the
residents in the study area.
4. To examine the significant effects of poor condition housing on the life of the residents in the study area?
5 To examine the implication of poor housing condition in the environment in the study area.
The data gathering procedure will be accomplished by administering the questionnaires to the respondents who are
residing in the study areas. Personal interviews will also be conducted to supplement the questionnaire and get the
respondents view on salient points.
CHAPTER FOUR
4.1 Introduction
The objective of this chapter is to present, interpret and discuss the result of the analysis of the residents and
Landlord/Agent questionnaire survey conducted on Ajeromi Ifelodun in Lagos based on poor housing condition and its
health implication on its residents. The chapter is divided into two main sections; the first section presents and discusses the
results of data derived from the survey of the residents of the area which examined the respondents profile. These results
were presented with percentages and frequency tables.
The second section is the presentation and discussion of the results of the analysis of the questionnaire survey of rate of
satisfaction of the landlord/Agent in the area. The results were presented with percentages, frequencies and mean item
scores.
The chapter ends with a summary of findings from the study of the rate of satisfaction of the users with the buildings and its
facilities.
Table 4.1
One hundred and fifty (150) questionnaires were administered to the personnel involves in the study areas (eighty (80) to
the occupant while seventy (70) were administered to the estate surveyors), one hundred and twenty-three (123) were
retrieved (seventy-seven (77) from the occupant and forty-six (46) from the estate surveyors), out of which one hundred and
twenty-three (123) were found usable. This presented an effective 82% response rate in total; that is to say a 96% response
rate from the occupant and 66% response rate from the estate surveyors. The discarded responses were from respondents
who failed to meet the required quality and consistency checks used in the screening processes.
Table 4.2
Table 4.3
4.3.2 Marital Status of Respondents
S/N Marital Status Frequency Percentage
1 Single 19 24.7
2 Married 53 68.8
3 Divorced 5 6.5
Total 77 100
Source: field survey 2017
This table shows that 24.7% of the respondents are single while 68.8% are married and 6.5% of are of divorced; this implies
that more than half of the respondents are married
Table 4.4
4.3.3 Age of Respondents
S/N Age Frequency Percentage
1 20 30 34 44.2
2 31 40 30 39
3 40 above 13 16.9
Total 77 100
Source: field survey 2017
This table shows that 13% of the respondents are in the age range of 40 years and above, 39% are within 31 and 40 years
while 44.2% are within 20 and 30 years old; it implies that most of the respondents are between the ages of 20 and 30 years
old.
Table 4.5
4.3.4 Occupation of Respondents
S/N Occupation Frequency Percentage
1 Civil/public 7 9.1
2 service 24 31.2
3 Private sector 46 59.7
Self- 77 100
employment
Total
Source: field survey 2017
This table shows that 9.1% of the respondents are civil/public service, 31.2% are private sector while 59.7% are self-
employment; it implies that more than half of the respondents are self-employed.
Table 4.6
4.3.5 Highest Educational Qualification of Respondents
S/N Educational Frequen Percentage
Qualification cy
1 FSLC 15 19.5
2 WAEC/GCE 11 14.3
3 OND 13 16.8
4 HND/B.Sc 29 37.7
5 Other 9 11.7
Total 77 100
Source: field survey 2017
This table shows that 19.5% of the respondents are holders of FSLC, 14.3% holds an WAEC/GCE, 16.8 holds an OND
(Ordinary National Diploma), 37.7% holds a HND/B.Sc and 11.7% are holders of a Other certificate; this implies that all
the respondents are well educated. Also, it indicates that the responses gotten in this research work are valid as the
respondents have the knowledge to answer the questions asked.
Table 4.7
4.3.5 Number of Years in the area by the Respondents
S/N Number of Years Frequen Percentage
cy
1 15 23 29.8
2 6 10 39 50.7
3 10 above 15 19.5
Total 77 100
Source: field survey 2017
This table shows that 29.8% of the respondents have been residing in the area for 1 - 5 years, 50.7% have been residing in
the area for 6 10 years, while 19.5% have been in the area for 10years and above. This implies that more than half of the
respondents have at least been in the area for more than 10 years.
Table 4.8
Satisfaction with the rent paid by Respondents
S/N Response Frequen Percentage
cy
1 Yes 31 40.3
2 No 36 46.7
Total 77 100
Table 4.10
Rate of at which Landlord/Agent pay visit to the property by Respondents
S/N Response Frequen Percentage
cy
1 Regularly 7 66.3
2 Any time 19 24.6
3 Yearly 51 9.1
Total 77 100
Source: field survey 2017
This table shows that 66.3% of the respondents said the agent visit for inspection on yearly bases, 24.6% f the respondents
said the agent visit for inspection at any time while 9.1% f the respondents said the property manager visit for inspection on
regularly bases; this implies that most of the agent of the case study visit the property on a yearly bases
Table 4.10
Assessment of the property by Respondents
Response Frequen Percentage
S/N cy
1 Very good 2 2.6
2 Good 20 26
3 Fair 45 58.4
4 Poor 10 13
Total 77 100
Source: field survey 2017
This table shows that 2.6% of the respondents assessed the property manager on very good performance, 26% of them
assessed the property manager on good performance, 58.4% of them assessed the property manager on fair performance
13% of them assessed the property manager on poor performance; this implies that most of the property manager are on fair
performance.
4.4 PROFILE OF AGENT/LANDLORD
Table 4.11
4.4.1 Register status by respondent
S/N Status Frequen Percentage
cy
1 Yes 35 74
2 no 11 24
Total 46 100
Source: field survey 2017
This table shows that 74% of the respondents are Register agent while 24% are no register agents; this implies that most of
the respondents are agents in the subject property.
Table 4.12
4.4.2 The number years in practice
S/N Range Frequen Percentage
cy
1 Below 10 year 25 54.3
2 11-20 year 12 26.0
3 Above 30 year 9 19.5
Total 46 100
Source: field survey 2017
This table shows that 54.3% of the respondent have been in practice below 10 years, 26.0% of the respondent are in practice
between 11 to 20 years while 19.5% of the respondent are in practice above 30years; this implies that most of the
respondent have been in practice for more than 10 years.
Table 4.13
4.4.3 Involvement on residential property of Respondents
S/N Response Frequen Percentage
cy
1 Yes 29 63.1
2 No 17 36.9
Total 46 100
Source: field survey 2017
This table shows that 63.1% of the respondents have been involved in residential property while 36.9% of the respondents
are not involved in the residential property; this implies that since most of the respondents are involved in residential
properties the information gather will be useful to the research work
Table 4.14
4.4.4 Objective of residential property of Respondents
S/N Response Frequen Percentage
cy
1 Financial motive 30 65.1
b) Social motive
2 5 10.9
Social motive
3 6 13.1
Continuity
4 5 10.9
Independence
46 100
Total
Source: field survey 2017
This table shows that 65.1% of the respondents said that the objective of residential is finance, 10.9% of the respondents
said that the objective of residential property is for social and independent motive while 13.1% of the respondents said that
the objective of residential property is for continuity. This implies that the at most aim of residential properties is for money.
Table 4.15
4.4.5 Factor that influence rent of Respondents
S/N Response Frequen Percentage
cy
1 Market forces 37 80.3
2 Reserved rents 9 19.7
Total 46 100
Source: field survey 2017
This table shows that 80.3% respondents response that the rent is been effect by market forces factor while 19.7%
respondents response that the rent is been effect by reserved rent factor; that is the major factor that influence rent is the
market force.
Table 4.15
4.4.5 Means of maintaining the property of Respondents
S/N Response Frequen Percentage
cy
1 Tenants 12 26.2
2 Fund Generated 34 73.8
Total 46 100
Source: field survey 2017
This table shows that 26.2% respondents maintain property through the tenant while 73.8% respondents maintain property
through the fund generated from the property; therefore most of the maintenance is carried out by the agents
What are the factors responsible for poor housing condition in this area?
Very Fairly Not
Satisfied Neutral Means Ranks
satisfied satisfied satisfied
8 9 36 21 6 80
Cost of
0.50(0) 0.45(15) 1.35(35) 0.53(9) 0.08(11) 2.90(80)
material
Poor usage 0.00(15) 0.75(18) 1.31(34) 0.48(7) 0.14(6) 2.68(80)
Weather 0.94(0) 0.90(9) 1.28(36) 0.18(15) 0.08(20) 3.36(80)
Attitude to
0.00(12) 0.45(15) 1.35(25) 0.38(13) 0.25(15) 2.43(80)
usage
Feasibility 0.75(0) 0.75(12) 0.94(32) 0.33(18) 0.19(8) 2.95(80)
Source: field survey 2017
Note: Very Satisfactory range within 4.50 3.50 SS Strongly Satisfied
Satisfactory range within 3.49 2.50 S Satisfied
Dissatisfactory range within 2.49 1.50 N - Neutral
Neutral range within 1.00 1.49 D - Disagree
SD Strongly Disagree
.
What is the implication of poor housing condition in the environment in the study area
5.1 CONCLUSION
The survey conducted revealed the following as poor housing condition and its health implication on residential dwellers:
environmental deterioration, this can be seen in terms of the rate of generation of solid waste
Whose disposal is a major problem in the study area; overcrowding, due to the fact that people cannot afford to pay high
house rent, therefore there is increase in the number of persons living in a room with squatters which further deteriorate the
facilities in the house like toilet, bathroom, and creating other social and economic problems. Based on the findings, the
following measures would go a long way to enhancing an improvement in the standard of living and housing conditions in
the study area. Improvement in government poverty alleviation programmes; effective urban development policy; partial
upgrading of the environment; effective development control; provision of effective loan scheme; enforcement of housing
and building codes; and improvement in the sanitary conditions. Poverty has adverse impact on the lives of people and
housing condition. It could result in the poor health of the residents due to exposure to pollution of different forms. It could
also result to low standard of living. Faithful consideration of the recommended measures by the authority concerned will
help to minimize the impact of poverty on housing conditions in Ajeromi Ifelodun Local Government Area of Lagos State
and the country as a whole.
5.2 RECOMMENDATION
In view of the findings, the following recommendations are made to facilitate poor housing condition and its health
implications to human health. Landlords should ensure that good and superior building materials should be used so that it
can withstand the climate conditions and soil type. The general practice in property letting in Nigeria leaves the
responsibility for all repairs of structural nature, including external painting to the landlord. However, as we have seen the
fact that the rents from these properties sometimes are unable to cover the cost of such maintenance, makes it impossible for
such landlords to live up to their responsibilities. Qualified professionals should be employed in the construction of
building and also there should be a strict supervision of the artisans. This may be costly in the short run, but the long term
benefits cannot be quantified. In Nigeria, the theory of sinking fund seems to be an academic exercise only. Landlords
should be advised and encouraged to imbibe the practice of setting aside part of their rental income in a separate
maintenance account for the sole purpose of carrying out repairs on their buildings in same manner that service charge funds
are operated.
The housing condition of the people is found to be inadequate and failed to guarantee the health of its occupants. Majority
of households were bedeviled by disease burden related to respiratory symptoms. The study highlighted dilapidated building
condition; inadequate indoor temperature control, poor environmental quality and crowding as the major predictor of
incidence of Asthma, Pneumonia, Cough and Bronchitis among households. In as much as rural dwellers in Nigeria have
suffered perennial neglect by the
Urban-based ruling elites, the findings of this study serve as a wake-up call to the Nigerian Government to exhibit an
active interest in rural housing and health by promoting healthy housing that could alienate the negative health impacts. The
World Bank rural interventions should be directed at strengthening the communitys health programme, raising housing
health awareness and encouraging good self-help environmental sanitation among rural households.
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