Chapters authored
Housing Quality and Risk Factors Associated with Respiratory Health Conditions in Nigeria
This chapter presents an overview of the condition and quality of housing in Nigeria and its implication on respiratory health. Addressing housing issues offers public health practitioners an opportunity to assess an important social determinant of health. This chapter detailed the housing characteristics in Nigeria and revealed that respiratory health conditions, especially among children is associated with certain environmental factors that perturb the composition of the indoor air, and thus the housing quality. Drawing on this perspective, this chapter pursues the following questions: (1) What are the factors that affect the quality of housing where people spend most of their time daily? and (2) Given the housing condition in Nigeria, what housing-related factors influence the prevalence of respiratory health conditions especially among children? In the course of the discussion, we described the meteorological conditions of houses in relation to respiratory conditions, established a link between indoor air and housing quality, and elucidated the indicators for evaluating housing quality. Drawing on the associated risk factors, it argues that the quality of housing, including the external and internal structures, as well as the internal environment has a selective force on the respiratory health status of its occupants.
Part of the book: Housing