Internationale Zeitschrift für globale Gesundheit

Socioeconomic condition, Health and Nutritional status of Dhaka Rickshaw puller

Tamanna Toma Khan

Statement of the Problem: 

Rickshaw pullers - the drivers of rickshaw - constitute a significant portion of Bangladeshi population living under the poverty line. They work hard, but their living condition, socioeconomic status, health and nutritional status are in a dreadful condition.  

Methodology: 

A cross-sectional study has been carried out on 100 rickshaw pullers of Dhaka city to scrutinize their socioeconomic status, dietary pattern, health and nutritional status. Data were collected from two pre-selected areas of Dhaka city by following the random sampling method through both structured and semi-structured questionnaire. Both descriptive and inferential analysis has been conducted through SPSS. 

Findings: 

The look at diagnosed 27% of the respondent without any education. Majority of the respondents (26%) pulled rickshaw for 11 to 14 years. forty-nine% of the respondent earned BDT 15 to twenty thousand consistent with month. It became additionally located that 32% of the respondent lived inside the slum whereas 16% lived within the storage. besides, 31% of the respondent found to drink contaminated faucet water even as operating. amongst all of the respondent, 72% were smoker and particularly 23% were adhered to weed. The take a look at diagnosed the main purpose at the back of choosing this profession was poverty that was recognized by forty-three% of the respondents. approximately 50% of the respondent took treatment from pharmacy. notwithstanding being involved in such a difficult work 28% of the respondent took 1 to two predominant meals and simplest 38% took 3 instances predominant meals daily. on the flip side, 29% of the respondent located to drink tea from the roadside stall for five to 6 times an afternoon. Their mean peak was found 164.67cm. except, 18% of the respondent had been located underweight and three% overweight. around nine% of the respondent identified as food insecure and 37% observed with low to borderline degree of intake.  

The poor those who enter within the rickshaw pulling quarter normally has no saving of cash. So, in any need of money they must borrow from the unauthorized creditors in high hobby charge. A big range of them begin life of rickshaw pullers to repay their debt. The facts analysis the 7% rickshaw pullers had been teenager and the socio-financial causes which pressured the negative human beings to interact themselves in rickshaw pulling. Unemployment, poverty, low income and small size of land holdings are the essential economic causes which forced to about 61% of the rickshaw pullers to contain themselves in the rickshaw pulling, while most of the social elements, big family size, illiteracy, early marriage, family disintegration and migration pushed to 25% of them to tug rickshaws. furthermore, unkindness, coins charge, debt and uncertainty in production of vegetation, preference of work/self-recognize derived 21% of the rickshaw pullers toward the pulling of the rickshaws. The anthropometric information (weight and top), on this look at had been 22% underweight, seventy-two% ordinary range and six% excessive risk of overweight but no obese men and women. inside the extra statistics evaluation of 50 rickshaw pullers had been four% educated, 80% not educated & sixteen% self-knowledgeable. however, approximately 94% smokers, 20% drinkers, 22% gamblers and 4% no bad conduct. about 28% rickshaw pullers had been coughed and cold, 22% joint, 21% returned and 20% chest pains. further, 10% allergies, 4% tuberculosis and best 2% blood strain. alternatively, approximately 44% quack/village heath employee, 28% buy remedy without doctor’s recommendation, nine% the MBBS, four% NGOs sanatorium, nine% do now not take treatment and 5% others. The dietic device 1/n nutrition counselling by using name can be an effective measure to chick bid for their sound health.   

The paintings are hard and the residing circumstance is shoddier. those who belong to decrease segment of the society, their deterioration retains each day particularly in rural hundreds wherein extra than 70% population is living. Unemployment, illiteracy, unhygienic fitness conditions and discrimination concerning distribution of sources and assets is commonplace. Pulling a rickshaw may additionally had been, it presented an income higher than that available inside the villages, because city rickshaw pullers come from a very negative economic history steady with the characteristics of continual poverty, thereby maximum of them migrate to cities from rural areas in search of employment for buying better method of livelihood, but in fact, them expectations are not often found out. After arrival in cities, they subsist on little or no as they try and save cash as a lot as they are able to to send returned to their families of their villages and live a depressing lifestyles in which them quantity of accessibility in housing, energy, water and other facilities are very negative. those deprived and exploited sections aren't explicitly identified in coverage files by way of the authorities and little or no interest has been paid in humanizing the livelihood of the rickshaw pullers and consequently, vital to collect relevant facts to take a look at the socio-economic composition, causes, issues and the implications of such occupation at the fitness and typical existence of the rickshaw pullers, which could be introduced before the society and appropriate policies can be framed to remedy their issues. 

Conclusion  

The overall analysis of the study revealed that the rickshaw pullers are one of the poorest sections of the society living in abject poverty but play a pivotal role in transportation system. Neither their working environment regulated nor their social security issues are addressed. In rickshaw-pulling neither there is need to invest money nor to have any special skill to drive it. So, the stakeholders should take immediate intervention to solve their problems. The government and the NGOs should organize different campaigning to aware them about health, hygiene and sanitation issues to lead them a healthy life.