Housing quality associated with hypertension among community dwellers in Osogbo, Nigeria

The existing literature has extensively examined the effects of housing quality (HQ) on respiratory health, but research on its contribution to cardiovascular risk factors remains limited. This study examined the relationship between HQ and hypertension among 700 community dwellers in Osogbo, Nigeria. Participants’ homes were evaluated using a validated structured home walkthrough checklist to determine housing characteristics, and the presence or absence of essential housing facilities was used to compute the housing quality index (HQI). Houses with a HQI ≤ 50th percentile score were categorized as ‘poor HQ’, while houses > 50th percentile score were categorized as ‘good HQ’. Participants were classified as hypertensive if they had a systolic blood pressure (SBP) of 140 mmHg or higher and/or a diastolic blood pressure (DBP) of 90 mmHg or higher, had a previous diagnosis of hypertension from a health professional, or were currently taking antihypertensive medication. The odds of hypertension by poor HQ status (using good HQ as reference) was determined using multivariable logistic regression models, adjusting for relevant covariates at a two-sided P < 0.05. The prevalence of hypertension was 251/700 (36%). Participants with hypertension exhibited a substantially higher prevalence of poor HQ (207/251; 82.5%) than those without hypertension (233/449; 51.9%). In the multivariable-adjusted model, poor HQ was independently associated with hypertension (aOR: 3.60; 95%CI 2.31–5.60). Housing facilities found to be associated with hypertension include the absence of illumination and electricity (OR: 1.56; 95%CI 1.10–2.22), inadequate water supply (OR: 1.54; 95%CI 1.08–2.20) and ventilation (OR: 1.65; 95%CI 1.15–2.36). Interventions focused on improving suboptimal housing quality could present a viable approach to mitigating the already high prevalence of hypertension in this population.