Household Dynamics in Northern Malawi During the 1980s

As part of an epidemiological study of leprosy and tuberculosis, a total of 112 026 individuals belonging to 17 889 households in Karonga District, northern Malawi, were interviewed and examined in the early 1980s and followed up over five years. The mean and median household size (6.4 and 5 respectively in the first survey) were similar in the two surveys. Males headed 85 per cent of all households. The proportion of females who were household heads increased with age, from less than 10 per cent among females under 45 years of age to more than 30 per cent of those over age 60. The implications of household definition for studies of household change overtime is discussed. More than 84 per cent of the households were considered to have maintained their identity over the five years, and an appreciable proportion did so despite changes in location (21 per cent) or headship (8 per cent), or even both (1 per cent). The rate at which individuals changed households was strongly dependent upon age, sex and membership status, being low (c. 20 per cent) for children under 5 years, very high for females 15-19 years of age (63 per cent) and males 20-24 years of age (50 per cent), then lower for older adults though increasing gradually with age for females over age 50. The probability of survival of a household over time was strongly correlated with household size. These analyses reveal the complexities of household dynamics, and provide a basis for detailed studies of leprosy, tuberculosis and HIV transmission and impact in this population.