HOUSING CONDITIONS AND HEALTH OF RESIDENTS IN IBADAN NORTH LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA, IBADAN, OYO STATE, NIGERIA

Popoola, Ayobami ¹, Tawose, Opeoluwa¹, Abatan, Stephen¹, Adeleye, Bamiji², Jiyah, Funke³, Majolagbe, Nihinlola⁴

¹Department of Urban and Regional Planning, University of Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria

²Department of Urban and Regional Planning, Federal University of Technology, Minna, Niger State

³School of Preliminary Studies, Federal Polytechnic, Bida Niger State

⁴School of Nursing, University College Hospital, Ibadan, Oyo State

Email: bcoolay2@yahoo.com

ABSTRACT

Many health issues can be traced to housing condition. Building material, household equipments, size of building and building design are direct or indirect drivers of many human health problems. The study examined relationship between housing condition and the health status of the residents in Ibadan North Local Government area. Questionnaire was administered using household sampling technique. Simple random sampling was employed in carrying out the research to select samples for the study. This involves numbering of the buildings in the localities and ballot system was used to select 308 buildings out of 28,020 buildings in the study area for this research. Findings revealed that the housing condition of many of the houses observed can be said to be in poor state. Over 150 sampled household do not have adequate or adhere to the stipulated housing standard of 3cm air space, while half of the sampled household lacked adequate solid waste disposal method. Hospital records revealed that the illness often complained and diagnosed are plasmodiasis, typhoid, infections, and headache among others. Many of which can be traced to poor housing and environmental condition. The study recommends that inhabitants must ensure adequate space and protection against the following adverse conditions such as cold, damp, heat, rain, wind or other threats to health or structural hazards. Planning authorities must improve monitoring of newly constructed building to ensure they comply with the set space standards. The role of housing unit landscape in providing visual satisfaction, which has a profound effect on the psychological nature of man and also serve as carbon sink resulting from human activity within the environment also needs to be well reinstated.