Exploring Housing Quality Measures in a Rural area of the Philippines

Abstract

Housing quality in a rural region of Leyte Province, the Philippines, was examined to develop a model to identify predictors of housing quality, one of the six housing norms within the theory of housing adjustment. Data were drawn from interviews with 150 female heads of households from ten rural villages in the upland and lowland areas near the town of Baybay, the Philippines. Logistic regression was used in the analysis. As expected, socio-economic status was significantly related to housing quality, as were the village’s location, the age of the male-head of the household, and tenure. The number of stories of the house and the crowding measure were not significantly related to housing quality. This research provides documentation for evaluating both equitable distribution of housing and economic development programs and policies in developing areas.