The Socio-Economic Status Of Households, Sources Of Water Supply And Associated Water Related Diseases Of Communities In Njaba Local Government Area Of Imo State

Abstract

Background: Water ideally should be odouriess, colourless, tasteless, clear and without turbidity. It is an essential part of life and is needed in every day life. Socio-economic status refers to the measure of one's access to collectively designed resources and it is a fundamental element in the social and health sciences. Inadequate supply of water most times results from low socio-economic status and diseases associated with poor water supply abound in households of low socio-economic status.

Objectives: To assess the socio-economic status of households in communities in Njaba Local government area of Imo State, their sources of water supply and associated water related diseases prevalence.

Methodology: A descriptive cross-sectional study of households in the communities of Njaba Local Government Area, Imo State. Multi-stage sampling method was used to select the communities to be studied. At the village level, cluster sampling was used to select the clans, while systematic random sampling was used to select 400 households.

Results: The study showed that majority of the respondents were between the age of 50-59 years 173(43.3%); most lived in bungalows 190(47.5%6); majority were married 199(49.8%); fathers highest level of education was senior secondary 211(52.8%), mothers highest level of education was senior secondary school 203(50.8%); fathers occupation was mainly farming 162(40.5%); mothers
occupation was mainly farming 131(32.8%). Sources of water were mainly boreholes 397(46.8%), and prevalence of water related diseases showed that diarrhoeal diseases have the highest frequency 180(52.2%) and occurred more in households of tow socio-economic class.

Conclusion: Most of the households belong to the low and middle socio-economic classes. Sources of water were mainly borehole. Diarrhoeal diseases were found to be more prevalent among the households in the area and occurred more in the low socio-economic households.