Spatial Analysis of Household Size as a Determinant of Health Status of Rural Areas Offederal Capital Territory, Nigeria
Household size is one of the determinants of socioeconomic development of any country. It is the total number of people living in a house, sharing certain things in common and may contain more than a family: it includes the fathers, mothers, children and other dependents that live under the same roof and having certain things in common. Household size varies in size in space as a result of diverse reasons. In the light of this, the present study is conceived, in order to establish the relationship between household size and health status of rural areas of Federal Capital Territory, Nigeria. The study involved 172 household heads across the six area councils of the study area. Random sampling technique was adopted to obtain all the relevant data. In all, in-depthinterviews (IDI), Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) were conducted and questionnaires were also administered in the randomly selected settlements of the wards on the subject matter. Data from all these sources were subjected to correlation analysis. The study concludes that, there is high proportion of household size in the study area with its attendance effects on the health status of the rural populace. In the face of this finding, the study recommends manageable household size as one of the conditions for healthy living upon which economic growth can evolve. This can be achieved through adequate family education.
