Investigating the Prevalence of Environment Related Diseases in Peri-Urban Areas of Ogbomoso, Nigeria

Aim: Within the context of existing socio-physical and housing environmental conditions, the study examines the incidence, prevalence, gender and spatial dimensions of four major communicable diseases –malaria, typhoid, cholera and diarhoea.

Place and Duration: The study was conducted in eighteen peri-urban communities in Ogbomoso, Nigeria, between February and July 2008

Study Design: The study combined a social survey of residents’ perception and six months hospital records of clinically diagnosed environment related diseases.

Methodology: Both primary and secondary data were used. A total of 200 questionnaires were randomly administered on household heads in selected communities to elicit information on housing, socio-economic characteristics of household heads and their perception of health effects of city encroachment. From six purposively selected health institutions, data on clinically diagnosed environment related diseases were obtained. Collected data were subjected to inferential statistics. The analysis is against the backdrop of the hypothesis that, in the cities of developing nations, health impacts will arise from or be compounded by haphazard land use patterns, population pressure on housing, lack of facilities and basic services such as water and sanitation, electricity and, poor environmental sanitation.

Results: The study revealed a general lack of basic infrastructural facilities and services. While houses were mainly of the bungalow type (72%) and owner occupied (63.5%), accessibility to houses was generally poor. A significant proportion of the houses (26.5%) had no toilet while, about 99 per cent of the respondents did not have access to pipe-borne water with 80 percent using nearby vacant land as refuse dump. The most prevalent diseases were malaria (53.5%) and typhoid (42.2%). The only cases of Cholera (2.2%) and diarhoea (2.2%), were recorded in Abaa community in Surulere Local Government Area. In all cases, Females were more vulnerable to malaria and typhoid (56.2% and 61.2%) than their male counterparts. Preparation of layout plans and close monitoring of development at the periurban areas and urgent provision of basic facilities and services are suggested.