An Assessment of the Relationship between Built Environment and Socioeconomic Factors with the Incidence of Meningococcal Meningitis in Kaduna Urban Area, Nigeria

Abstract

Meningococcal meningitis is an airborne disease that has been a threat to human life in many regions of the world, especially in West Africa. The dis ease has caused permanent physical impairment to some of its victims and many lives have been lost due to the disease. Factors that are associated with the incidence of the disease which are geographically referenced include built environment, geographical location and climatic conditions. Others are so cioeconomic and demographic factors. This study established the relationship between built environment and socioeconomic factors with the incidence of the disease. Data that were used include the incidences of the disease from 2007 to 2011, housing conditions, population density, number of house ownership, employment, income level, and the number of hospitals, schools and refuse dumps. Neighborhoods were used as the unit of analysis in the study. The me thod of analyzing the data includes factor analysis and some statistical tech niques in Geographical Information System such as the Ordinary Least Square (OLS). The findings of the study reveal the spatial variations of the incidence of Meningococcal meningitis in Kaduna Urban Area (KUA). The study recom mends that there should be strict observance of the development control regu lations especially at the high density residential neighborhood. The model can also be used for other communicable disease to ensure the health of the public.