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Housing and health in three contrasting neighbourhoods in Accra, Ghana

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  • Arku, Godwin
  • Luginaah, Isaac
  • Mkandawire, Paul
  • Baiden, Philip
  • Asiedu, Alex B.

Abstract

Although the literature on housing and health is extensive, most research comes from developed countries. Relatively little work on the topic has been done in developing countries such as Ghana where socio-economic and cultural characteristics are generally different. This paper reports on primary research that investigates the relationship between housing and self reported general and mental health in Accra, Ghana. The study focused on how the social and economic dimensions of housing, specifically, demand, control and material attributes (affordability, dwelling type) influence individuals' attachment to their home as a refuge for daily living. A cross-sectional survey was administered to a randomly selected sample (n = 562) in three contrasting neighbourhoods. Overall, housing conditions, demand and control residents have to where they live, emerged as significant predictors of self reported general and mental health status. The influence of these variables superseded well known correlates of health status, income and educational attainment, attesting to their importance in a worsening housing environment. The findings point to the need for policy that recognizes that housing is not only a physical shelter but also an important health resource.

Suggested Citation

  • Arku, Godwin & Luginaah, Isaac & Mkandawire, Paul & Baiden, Philip & Asiedu, Alex B., 2011. "Housing and health in three contrasting neighbourhoods in Accra, Ghana," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 72(11), pages 1864-1872, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:socmed:v:72:y:2011:i:11:p:1864-1872
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    1. McFadden, E. & Luben, R. & Bingham, S. & Wareham, N. & Kinmonth, A.-L. & Khaw, K.-T., 2009. "Does the association between self-rated health and mortality vary by social class?," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 68(2), pages 275-280, January.
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    3. Veenstra, Gerry & Luginaah, Isaac & Wakefield, Sarah & Birch, Stephen & Eyles, John & Elliott, Susan, 2005. "Who you know, where you live: social capital, neighbourhood and health," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 60(12), pages 2799-2818, June.
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    Cited by:

    1. Irene Appeaning Addo, 2016. "Assessing residential satisfaction among low income households in multi-habited dwellings in selected low income communities in Accra," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 53(4), pages 631-650, March.
    2. Justin Stoler & John R Weeks & Richard Appiah Otoo, 2013. "Drinking Water in Transition: A Multilevel Cross-sectional Analysis of Sachet Water Consumption in Accra," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 8(6), pages 1-11, June.
    3. Keene, Danya E. & Guo, Monica & Murillo, Sascha, 2018. "“That wasn't really a place to worry about diabetes”: Housing access and diabetes self-management among low-income adults," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 197(C), pages 71-77.
    4. Godwin Arku & Isaac Luginaah & Paul Mkandawire, 2012. "“You Either Pay More Advance Rent or You Move Out†: Landlords/Ladies’ and Tenants’ Dilemmas in the Low-income Housing Market in Accra, Ghana," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 49(14), pages 3177-3193, November.
    5. Olatunde D. Babalola & Eziyi O. Ibem & Abiodun O. Olotuah & Akunnaya P. Opoko & Bukola A. Adewale & Omoyeni A. Fulani, 2020. "Housing quality and its predictors in public residential estates in Lagos, Nigeria," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 22(5), pages 3973-4005, June.
    6. Paul Nduhuura & Matthias Garschagen & Abdellatif Zerga, 2021. "Impacts of Electricity Outages in Urban Households in Developing Countries: A Case of Accra, Ghana," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(12), pages 1-26, June.
    7. Yang Hu & Rory Coulter, 2017. "Living space and psychological well-being in urban China: Differentiated relationships across socio-economic gradients," Environment and Planning A, , vol. 49(4), pages 911-929, April.
    8. Nicholas Boamah, 2015. "The impact of households characteristics on the state of housing in the Offinso South Municipality (OSM), Ghana," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 17(6), pages 1251-1266, December.

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