Abstract

Housing has considerably evolved over time and space in terms of standards but much still needs to be desired since some household diseases are intricately linked to housing standards with profound effects on the health of the occupants. This study seeks to examine the physical characteristics of houses and their standards in relation to health and disease. Data was collected through observations and interviews. Field data reveals that over 70% of the housing standards have improved over the past two decades. This notwithstanding, there is a positive correlation between standard/substandard housing on the one hand and disease/poor health conditions on the other. This is mostly linked to housing type, structural layout and environmental conditions as observed in parts of the rapidly urbanising settlement of Buea; a university town and regional capital of the Southwest in Cameroon. In order to reduce the proliferation of communicable diseases like typhoid, cholera and malaria, housing upgrading and refurbishments should be matched with local planning objectives if improved health is to be anticipated by the population in this tropical settlement.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.