Browsing by Author "Kunstakademiets Arkitektskole"

Filter results by typing the first few letters
Now showing 1 - 2 of 2
  • No Thumbnail Available
    PublicationMetadata only
    Crowding has consequences: Prevention and management of COVID-19 in informal urban settlements
    (2020-01-01) Lorenz von Seidlein; Graham Alabaster; Jacqueline Deen; Jakob Knudsen; University of the Philippines Manila; Kunstakademiets Arkitektskole; Mahidol University; Nuffield Department of Medicine; United Nations Human Settlements Programme
    © 2020 The Authors COVID-19 spreads via aerosols, droplets, fomites and faeces. The built environment that facilitates crowding increases exposure and hence transmission of COVID-19 as evidenced by outbreaks in both cool-dry and hot-humid climates, such as in the US prison system and dormitories in Singapore, respectively. This paper explores how the built environment influences crowding and COVID-19 transmission, focusing on informal urban settlements (slums). We propose policy and practice changes that could reduce COVID-19 transmission. There are several issues on how COVID-19 affects informal urban settlements. Slum populations tend to be younger than the overall population. Lower numbers of older people lessen the morbidity and mortality of the pandemic in slum areas. Second, many slum populations are highly mobile. By returning to their ancestral villages residents can avoid the risks of overcrowding and reduce the population density in a given area but may spread COVID-19 to other areas. Third, detection and registration of COVID-19 cases depends on patients presenting to health care providers. If the risk of visiting a health care centre outweighs the potential benefits patients may prefer not to seek treatment. The control and prevention of COVID-19 in informal urban settlements starts with organizing community infrastructure for diagnosis and treatment and assuring that basic needs (food, water, sanitation, health care and public transport) are met during quarantine. Next, community members at highest risk need to be identified and protected. Low-income, informal settlements need to be recognized as a reservoir and source for persistent transmission. Solutions to overcrowding must be developed for this and future pandemics. In view of the constant risk that slums present to the entire population decisive steps need to be taken to rehabilitate and improve informal settlements, while avoiding stigmatization.
  • No Thumbnail Available
    PublicationMetadata only
    Old age is associated with decreased wealth in rural villages in Mtwara, Tanzania: findings from a cross-sectional survey
    (2020-01-01) Salum Mshamu; Pimnara Peerawaranun; Catherine Kahabuka; Jacqueline Deen; Lucy Tusting; Steve W. Lindsay; Jakob Knudsen; Mavuto Mukaka; Lorenz von Seidlein; University of the Philippines Manila; London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine; Durham University; Kunstakademiets Arkitektskole; Mahidol University; Nuffield Department of Medicine; CSK Research Solutions
    © 2020 The Authors Tropical Medicine & International Health Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd Objective: In many countries, housing is used for wealth accumulation and provides financial security in old age. We tested the hypothesis that household wealth, measured by housing quality and ownership of durable assets, would increase with age of the household head. Methods: We conducted a survey of household heads in 68 villages surrounding Mtwara town, Tanzania and recorded relevant demographic, housing and social characteristics for each household. The primary analysis assessed the relationship between age of the household head, quality of the house structure and socio-economic score (SES) using multivariate analysis. Principal Components Analysis (PCA) was used as a data reduction tool to estimate the social-economic status of subjects based on relevant variables that are considered as proxy for SES. Results: Of 13 250 household heads were surveyed of whom 49% were male. Those at least 50 years old were more likely to live in homes with an earth floor (86%) compared to younger household heads (80%; P < 0.0001), wattle and daub walls (94% vs. 90%; P < 0.0001) and corrugated iron roofs (56% vs. 52%; P < 0.0001). Wealth accumulation in the villages included in the study tends to be an inverted V-relationship with age. Housing quality and SES rose to a peak by 50 years and then rapidly decreased. Households with a large number of members were more likely to have better housing than smaller households. Conclusions: Housing plays a critical role in wealth accumulation and socio-economic status of a household in rural villages in Tanzania. Households with a head under 50 years were more likely to live in improved housing and enjoyed a higher SES, than households with older heads. Larger families may provide protection against old age poverty in rural areas. Assuring financial security in old age, specifically robust and appropriate housing would have wide-ranging benefits.