Urbanization, Housing Quality and Health: Towards a Redirection for Housing Provision in Nigeria

Nigeria’s housing provision is perceived in terms of quantity with less
attention to its quality and impact onpeople’s health. The quality of indoor
air in housing and its associated risks to human health was assessed in this
paper to improve housing provision in Nigeria. Quantitative data collected
from Bauchi, Nigeria includes household surveys, housing characteristics,
indoor carbon dioxide (CO2), and particulate matter (PM2.5 and PM10).
PM2.5 and PM10 recorded in the building were (63 μm/m3) and (228 μm/m3)
and observed to be greater than safe values of 25 μm/m3 (PM2.5) and 50
μm/m3 (PM10) recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO).
Some building features associated with some ailments were found to be risk
factors. The study recommended a redirection for more quality housing
provision. It concludes that housing characteristics should be targeted for
public health interventions as a means of improving the quality of urban
housing in Nigeria.

 JOURNAL OF CONTEMPORARY URBAN AFFAIRS (2021),5(1), 35-46.

https://doi.org/10.25034/ijcua.2021.v5n1-3