Is rapid urbanization in India happened at the cost of health of urban poor?

Abstract

Aims: To examine the health and causes prevailing diseases among urban poor in India, the paper is emphasizing the environmental condition in slums and its effect on people living there vis a vis in swanky areas. Methods: The paper analyse data from 56961women & 38199 men living in 50236 household in urban areas in India from the National Family Health Survey-1, 2 & 3. Apart from their socio-demographic status, wealth index were considered to estimate impact on their health status. Incidences of diseases like diarrhoea, ARI among children and prevalence of TB among adults were examined for health status. Types of water supply, cooking fuel used and No. of rooms at house vis a vis household size (for crowding) were also analyzed through multivariate analysis. Results: The results show that people with lower wealth index are using firewood for cooking and not using piped water in urban areas. Incidence of water and air borne diseases are high at overcrowded households in urban dwellings. People do not have access to safe drinking water or flush toilet facilities and the situation did not improve over time. Affordability is low among urban poor which causes low treatment adherence. Conclusions: As the urbanization perceived as an indicator for development but planned cities may help to improve health of urban poor in future. Availability of safe drinking water and satiation along with knowledge on WASH may save lives of many poor living in slums in swanky cities.