A Study on Health Awareness inCharsof Assam

Abstract

This article studies the situation of health awareness among the inhabitants of Chars (river islands) of Nalbari, Borpeta and Jorhat districts of Assam. The health awareness is measured by health expenditure. The findings reveal that all the variables—caste-residence compound status, educational attainment, economic consideration of the family, family structure and primary occupation of the families have desirable impact on health awareness. In particular, the inhabitants of Char areas of Nalbari and Borpeta districts are seen to be least health aware. Thus on the basis of the findings of this study, it can be stated that in spite of launching several schemes for the upliftment of Chars (like forming Char area development authority, forming a separate state ministry for Char development, and so forth), the people living in these Chars are still far more backward than the people living in other parts of Assam.