Community Characteristics as Determinants of its Population's Health: Outcomes of a Community Diagnosis in Northwestern Nigeria

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: A critical appraisal of a community's profile is a pre-requisite for providing appropriate intervention that addresses prevailing innate health problems and thereby improving its people's health. This survey sought to determine a community's health profile with a view to proffering remedial measures for enhancing its population health. METHODOLOGY: A community diagnosis was carried out in the rural Kaura Local Government Area of Kaduna State, Northwestern Nigeria, through a household-level survey and key informant interview to determine innate health problems and determinant factors. RESULTS: The survey revealed a young population with a female segment of 51.02%, dependency ratio of3:2 and a fertility rate of 11.6%. Literacy and unemployment rates were 69.9% and 51.1 % respectively. Household accessibility to potable water was 85.5% while 97.8% had safe faecal disposal system with open dumping at 57.9% as the commonest refuse disposal method. Low personal income, sub-optimal integration of health provision outlets, low community involvement, unkempt environment and poor drainage system were also identified. CONCLUSION: The survey revealed a community with young population, relative high dependency ratio and high female to male ratio, high fertility, and significant proportion of vulnerable population. Identified environmental concerns include open refuse dumping close to and encroaching vegetation to homesteads, and poor drainage system with potential for communicable disease transmission. Targeted skills acquisition and empowerment programmes, sexual and reproductive health service strengthening, establishment of community social support schemes, inclusion of health education in school curricula, environmental and sanitation management, and health system integration are recommended. BJM 2020; 2(1): 8-13.