Slum Health in Ghana: A Study of Old Fadama in the Accra Metropolis

Abstract

Thousands of Ghanaians live in slums to make ends meet. However, the social and environmental conditions slum dwellers live in expose them to several health issues, an issue insufficiently studied. The study investigated how individual characteristics and shared social-physical environment define the health of slum residents in Old Fadama. The study adopted a mixed-method approach, and 306 household heads were selected. Six (6) key informants were included. A multi-stage sampling technique was employed with a questionnaire and interview guide used to get data. The quantitative analysis was done using SPSS, covering both descriptive and inferential statistical analyses. A thematic content analysis was carried out using the Nvivo software. The study found malaria, cholera, tuberculousis, hepatitis, dangue fever, and pneumonia, as the most prevailing health challenges in the area. The study unearthed poor sanitation, bad road network, informal settlement as what slum dwellers perceived as factors that affect their health status. It was also found out that infrastructure, public services, and housing characteristics are the shared social-physical environment factors that explain the health of slum dwellers in the area. The strategies adopted by residents to cope with prevailing healthrelated problems included “Borrowing from friends and selling assets to cope with huge health expenditures,” “Working for long hours to make more money,” and “Reducing excessive food consumption spending,”. It is, therefore, recommended that governments and other stakeholders should educate residents of the study area on the associated dangers. It also suggested that governments should pay attention to the following issues: poor sanitation, bad road network, informal settlement.