Holding on to life: COVID-19 pandemic impact, adaptation and resilience in Abeokuta, Nigeria

Abstract

The COVID-19 posed severe public health effects across the world to an extent that it was declared a pandemic. Aside the health effects are other consequences associated with measures such as lockdown, isolation and physical distancing to curb the spread of the virus. This study assesses the impact of the pandemic on households and their adaptation across different residential density zones in Abeokuta, Nigeria, with a novelty of understanding its socio-spatial context. This study utilised a quantitative research design based on a cross-sectional survey for the phases of data collection, analysis and interpretation. A two-stage sampling technique was employed in selecting 422 participants for the study. All participants were administered questionnaire and 391 copies were considered during data analysis. The data were analysed using cross-tabulation and the hypotheses tested using ANOVA. Findings on socioeconomic characteristics showed that the distribution of respondents descriptively varied across the high, medi residential density zones. Evidence of significant variances in the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on households ([F (2, 388) = 30.406, p = 0.000]) and their adaptation strategies ([F (2, 388) = 39.539, p = 0.000]) were established across residential zones in Abeokuta. The practical implication provides for policymakers and stakeholders to design targeted interventions and support measures for households. The theoretical implication is about contributing to the existing body of knowledge on the impact of pandemics on households by establishing a socio-spatial context and highlighting the need for socioeconomic context-specific responses.