Slum In Chennai Research Articles

Knowledge, Attitude, and Awareness of Organ Donation among Residents of Urban Slums in Chennai, Tamil Nadu

Knowledge, Attitude, and Awareness of Organ Donation among Residents of Urban Slums in Chennai, Tamil Nadu

Health-seeking behaviour and its determinants of health of Under-5 Children living in urban slums of Chennai, India 2018.

Appropriate health-seeking behaviour could help in reducing child mortality and morbidity. Information on social factors of mortality and health-seeking behaviours of caregivers of under-5 children from slums of Indian cities is minimal in literature. We estimated the prevalence of health-seeking behaviour for morbidity ofunder-5 children and its determinants in urban slums in Chennai city, India. A cross-sectional study was conducted using a mixed-method design among primary caregivers of under-5 children living in Chennai slums, India. Two-stage cluster sampling was adopted to select 40 slums. A total of 233 primary caregivers were interviewed. Nine focus group discussions and 18 in-depth interviews were conducted among the primary caregivers. Prevalence of inappropriate health-seeking behaviour was estimated, and determinants were identified by multivariate binary logistic regression analysis. Thematic analysis was done on qualitative data. We interviewed 233 primary caregivers. The weighted prevalence of inappropriate health-seeking behaviour for under-five children in urban slums of Chennai was 53.9% (95% CI: 46.9 - 60.8). Primary caregivers educated above secondary school were more likely (AOR of 2.3, 95% CI: 1.3-4.1) to follow inappropriate health-seeking behaviour compared to those educated below. Similarly, caregivers who were unaware of young child feeding practices (AOR of 3.6, 95% CI: 1.9-6.5) and early care-seeking and health practices (AOR of 2.5, 95% CI: 1.3-4.9) were more likely to engage in inappropriate health-seeking behaviour compared to those who were aware and we found that illness symptoms influenced health-seeking behaviour and that early disease detection might prevent severe illness. Health-seeking behaviour was found to be suboptimal among under-5 children in Chennai's urban slums. We suggest policymakers improve interventions on early care-seeking of common childhood illnesses in the urban health programme.

CHARACTERISING THE SLUM ENVIRONMENT FROM SPACE FOR ACHIEVING SDGS

Abstract. With less than eight years left to achieve the Global Goals, nations are accelerating the design and implementation of sustainable solutions to the world’s biggest challenges ranging from poverty to climate change. India has assessed its status in achieving SDGs through SDG Index, an aggregate measure that computes goal-wise scores on the 16 SDGs. For SDG 11, the 2020-21 assessment showed that all other 32 states scored above 65 as front runners except for seven. One such criterion to assess the progress of SDG11 is the “percentage of urban households living in Katcha houses”. In the present study, to understand the slum development activities to attain sustainability at a city level, Chennai has been chosen as a case study. Using VHR data from Google Earth Pro, the slums of Chennai are mapped, and the recent changes in the slum status are identified.The slums are categorised into four categories: existing, emerged, expanded and evicted slums, based on their characteristics. The study shows that between 2001 and 2011 there are 110 new slums emerged in the study area, which accounts for 1.43 sq. km. There are only a few slums that emerged between 2011 and 2022 (0.35 sq. km), but there was a considerable slum expansion (1.07 sq. km.) during that period, and some slums were evicted from their previous locations. The results based on satellite data have been verified and validated at the field level. The ongoing slum development programs in Chennai give optimistic hope for achieving inclusive urban development by 2030.

Prevalence of disability among the elderly people in an urban slum of Chennai - A cross-sectional study.

Human population is ageing worldwide. Disabilities are common with ageing; but most of the studies focused on the medical model of disability. However, "disability and elderly" encompasses a larger spectrum of conditions and needs to be studied as a broader concept. This study was done to estimate the prevalence of disability in elderly people in terms of WHO DAS 2.0 Scale and to identify the factors associated with disability in the elderly people. A sample of 220 elderly people was enrolled by multistage random sampling from TP Chatram, a slum in Chennai. A pre-tested semi-structured questionnaire about the socio-demographic details was administered. The disability was assessed by WHO DAS 2.0 Scale. The data entered in Microsoft Excel were analysed using SPSS 21.0. Results are expressed in mean, proportions, and odds ratio appropriately. The prevalence of disability was found to be 20.9%. The mean disability scores were more in the domain of getting along with people (34.68 ± 14.70), followed by the domain of getting around (30.64 ± 24.33) and societal participation (25.55 ± 21.97). Advancing age, female gender, presence of chronic illness were the factors increasing the risk of disability. Education confers significant protection against the development of disability. It is not only the physical inability that disables the elderly but also the lack of societal participation. So it becomes the responsibility of every individual to make the elderly people socially inclusive apart from screening them to detect disability in the earlier stage itself.

Does the roof type of a house influence the presence of adult Anopheles stephensi, urban malaria vector? - evidence from a few slum settings in Chennai, India.

In an urban setting, it is a difficult task to collect adult Anopheles stephensi, unlike the immature stages, due to various reasons. A longitudinal study was undertaken from January 2016 to April 2017, with CDC light traps to collect adult Anopheles stephensi and other mosquito species in houses located in a few slums of Chennai, India. A total of 203 trap collections were made indoors from human dwellings having different roof types, as well as outdoors. Three to four trap collections were made at night (18:00 to 06:00 h) once a week. Overall, Culex quinquefasciatus (64%) was the predominant mosquito species captured, followed by An. stephensi (24%). In 98 of the 203 trap collections (48.3%), at least one female An. stephensi was trapped. In all, 224 female An. stephensi were trapped, of which the majority were collected during monsoon and winter seasons. Compared to outdoors, 10% more An. stephensi, the majority of them unfed, were collected indoors, with relatively more contribution coming from asbestos-roofed houses (71.4%), followed by thatched-roof houses (47.3%). Overall, 2.2% positivity for Plasmodium vivax was detected in An. stephensi through Circumsporozoite-ELISA. Binary logistic regression model indicated that season (winter and monsoon), asbestos-roofed dwelling, lesser number of rooms in a house, and more members in a family were significant predictor variables for the odds of trapping an An. stephensi. The study brought out significant factors associated with the presence of An. stephensi in urban slums setting in Chennai, where malaria is declining. The findings would help in devising targeted, effective vector control interventions for malaria elimination in urban settings.

Unmet need for contraception among eligible women of urban slums in Chennai

Background: Unmet need for family planning is a crucial indicator to assess demand for family planning programme. It was reported that women from the world’s poorest countries have a high unmet need for contraception. Unmet need is particularly high among immigrants, urban slum dwellers, and women in the post-partum period. The objective of this study was to assess the unmet need and factors influencing the unmet need for contraception among urban slum dwellers in Chennai, South India.Methods: A community-based cross-sectional study of 375 married women was conducted among 50 urban slums of Chennai. Multistage random sampling was employed. About 6-9 women from each slum were interviewed. A semi-structured questionnaire was used to obtain data.Results: The mean age of the participants was 32.1±7.3 years. The total unmet need was 13.8%, which included 9.3% for limiting and 4.5% spacing. The major reasons for contraception non-use among women with unmet need were no preference to use modern contraceptives (30.8%) and preference to get sterilized soon (21.2%). Age, education, religion, and number of living children were the factors associated with unmet need.Conclusions: It was noted that unmet need reduced with age and increased number of living children. Though the unmet need is considerably low compared to other studies it is evident that women are still uncertain to use modern contraceptive methods for spacing and are more likely to undergo sterilization after their desired family size is achieved.

A Study of Attitude, Awareness, and Knowledge of Vasectomy among Married Men in Urban Slums of Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India

A Study of Attitude, Awareness, and Knowledge of Vasectomy among Married Men in Urban Slums of Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India

A Need to Spread Awareness to Slums in Chennai About the Pandemic Covid-19 - A Review.

A Need to Spread Awareness to Slums in Chennai About the Pandemic Covid-19 - A Review.

A cross-sectional study to assess the morbidity pattern, healthcare-seeking behavior and its determinants among adults of urban slum dwellers of Chennai

Background: Health seeking behavior is an important decision in health care management and it becomes more relevant among underprivileged populations like urban slums. The objectives of the study was to find out the morbidity pattern, health care seeking behaviours , the morbidity pattern its determinants among urban slum dwellers in Chennai.Methods: This descriptive cross sectional study was conducted among 400 respondents of Nallakuppam slum in Chennai by systematic random sampling method from October 2017 to October 2019. A semi structured schedule was used to collect information among them after their valid informed consent. Descriptive statistics such as frequency and percentage were used. Chi square test was used to assess the association between factors.Results: Almost half of the study participants (53.50%) were female and 30.50% have completed high school education. Hindu was the major religion practiced and most of them belonged to lower middle socio economic class. Though majority of the study population suffered from communicable diseases like ARI and fever which might be due to overcrowding in that area, treatment seeking behavior was found to be good among the study participant suffering from non-communicable disease like DM, HTN and CHD, which showed that the type of disease played an vital role in seeking treatment among the study participants.Conclusions: Though the study participants had different choice in health care such as government, private or some time both facilities for treating their illness, trust on the health care provider played an important role in availing services from particular health care facilities.

Knowledge, attitude, and practices about male infertility among men and women in slums of Chennai, Tamil Nadu: a cross-sectional study

Background: Infertility is a major public health problem that affects 15% of the global population. Fertility is the ability to conceive pregnancy and has a positive social value whereas; infertility has a negative social value in Indian culture. So, infertility is a serious problem in developing and undeveloped countries are more than of biological.Aim: To assess the knowledge, attitude, perception, and practices, and myths about male infertility in the slums of Chennai.Methods: This is a cross-sectional study carried out in the Slums of Chennai from January 2020 to March 2020. A total of 125 male and 125 female participants of the age group ≥18 years were recruited for the study by simple random sampling. Results: The study revealed that there is adequate knowledge of the common causes of infertility, but clinical knowledge is comparatively low. Both men and women shared almost equal knowledge of infertility. Conclusion: Educational programmes, regular campaigns by Accredited social health activists (ASHAs) and the involvement of community are recommended to increase knowledge about the causes of infertility as well as decrease the stigma associated with this condition.

Periodonal Status among Residents of Dhideer Kuppam Slum in Chennai

Oral health is an integral component of general health and is essential for a person's comprehensive well being. The current outlook towards oral health has broadened beyond the concept of just good teeth and has evolved to encompass freedom from chronic pain, the absence of oral and throat carcinoma, oral sores and birth defects such as cleft lip and palate, freedom from periodontal diseases, tooth decay, tooth loss and many other diseases and disorders that affect the mouth and oral cavity.

Status Of Slum Dwelling Women Entrepreneurs In Chennai City: The Current Scenario

Poverty is the major impediment for women development. The efficacious strategy of eradicating poverty would be to provide sustainable livelihood opportunities to women. Creating employment opportunities through micro level enterprises is necessary. For the last two decades, women have been ventured into multi-tasking activities like earning while doing household chores. Significant number of married women have ventured into micro level entrepreneurial activities, but failed to sustain in the journey of entrepreneurship. The objective of this study is to record the present status of slum dwelling women entrepreneurs in three zones of Chennai. This study has used both primary and secondary data. Primary data was collected from 120 women entrepreneurs through convenient sampling method. The study finds that women in the slums of Chennai involved in micro level enterprises within the boundaries of their local area. It also showed that age factor does not have any association with women entrepreneurship.

A cross sectional study on the prevalence and risk factors of fall among the elderly in an urban slum in Chennai

Background: Falls are an important cause of morbidity and mortality in elderly people. Falls lead to multiple medical and psychological problems in the elderly. Aim was to study the prevalence of falls among the elderly and to find the associated risk factors for falls among the elderly living in an urban slum in Chennai.Methods: A cross sectional study was conducted among elderly population over 60 years and above, in an urban slum area. About 150 elderly were selected using simple random sampling method, using the voters list as the sampling frame. A pretested questionnaire was administered to collect information about falls. In statistical analysis univariate and multivariate logistic regression was employed using SPSS version 22.Results: Of the 150 elderly persons studied, prevalence of falls rate is 35.3% (95% CI 28.13 to 43.26). Of them 64.1% had one episode of fall and 35.8% had recurrent falls. The prevalence of fall among persons with comorbidities like hypertension or diabetes was 39.3% and 36.1% respectively .The rate of fall among those using a walking stick was 58.3%, having tremors was 15% and having abnormal gait was 40%. The risk factors found to be significantly associated in univariate analysis were gender and presence of tremors (p<0.05). In multivariate analysis none of the factors showed statistical significance.Conclusions: Falls are very common among elderly. It is utmost important to prevent the falls by making necessary environmental modifications and following healthy lifestyle.

A study on prevalence of chronic kidney disease and its risk factors among adults in selected slums of Chennai

Background: Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a silent epidemic. The true prevalence of CKD with in a population are very difficult to estimate, since early to moderate CKD were usually asymptomatic. ESRD in the consequence of CKD is one of the most expensive diseases to treat.Only way is to prevent it and Hence this was conducted to estimate the prevalence of CKD and its associated risk factors among adults in selected slums of Chennai.Methods: This is a cross sectional study done from May 2013 to June 2014 in selected slums of Chennai. The study population includes adult males and females. Multi stage sampling method used. Sample size covered was 400. A semi structured questionnaire used as tool. Based on the serum creatinine eGFR calculated using modified MDRD study equation and CKD prevalence was identified. The data was entered in MS excel and analyzed using SPSS version 21.Results: Total of 400 participants involved. Females were predominant in the study. Among them, 67 (16.8%) were diagnosed as CKD patients and Stage 1, 4.0% had stage 2, 3.6% had stage 3, 1.3% had stage 4 and 0.5% had stage 5 at the time of diagnosis.Conclusions: This study revealed prevalence of CKD among slum population was 16.8%. This study showed that old age, uncontrolled hypertension, uneducated, Diabetes with poor control, overuse of analgesics, H/o smoking, obesity, alcoholism, passive smoking, family H/o CKD and proteinuria were significant risk factor for CKD among study subjects. Slum population with risk factors should be regularly screened for CKD.

Slums of Chennai around the Buckingham Canal - with special reference to Govindaswamy Nagar

Buckingham Canal bank was an important water - way of old Madras. It has been facing slow death due to many reasons such as encroachments by various constructions like MRTS (The Mass Rapid Transit System is popularly called MRTS), and also the Urban poor, the slum dwellers.
 The slum dwellers face various problems like, flooding, insanitary conditions, health and socio-economic issues. One of the major issue is the eviction process. In this link, the Elango Street of Govindaswamy Nagar has been allotted by the Tamil Nadu Slum Clearance Board based on G.O.Ms.No 163 Housing (F) Department, Dated 28.02.1973.
 Elango Street escapes all the natural problems the other slums are facing, but it is expected to be evicted. This critical issue made the researcher to compare Elango Street of Govindaswamy Nagar with the other slums on the banks of Central Buckingham Canal.

Influence of Maternal Short Stature on the Stunting Levels of Infants and Toddlers: A Case Study of Urban Slums in Chennai

Influence of Maternal Short Stature on the Stunting Levels of Infants and Toddlers: A Case Study of Urban Slums in Chennai

Shifting approaches to slums in Chennai: Political coalitions, policy discourses and practices

Slums pose a persistent challenge for fast growing urban areas in the global South, despite several decades of policy intervention. While Chennai has adopted several strategies ranging from upgrading to reconstruction, the city has been unable to deliver its target of ‘clearing’ slum settlements. Through an analysis of four enumeration reports and a look at the evolving political contexts and subsequent practices, we illustrate the evolution of slum policy approaches in Chennai since the 1970s. The analysis shows slum practices in Chennai continue to be characterized by an underlying continuity, with relocation as the dominant mode of operation since the nineties. However, approaches to slums have also evolved from paternalistic socialism with in‐situ development in the seventies, to approaches characterized by affordability and cost recovery in the eighties, to the aesthetics of global cities in the nineties, to the technology driven, to slum‐free ‘smart city’ discourse currently in vogue.

Conversion beyond “Rice Christians”

Comment on Roberts, Nathaniel. 2016. To Be Cared For: The Power of Conversion and Foreignness of Belonging in a Chennai Slum. Oakland: University of California Press

Caste and class and the urban poor

A comment on To be cared for: the power of conversion and foreignness of belonging in a Chennai slum by Nathaniel Roberts. Oakland: University of California Press

An intricate anthropology of care

Comment on Roberts, Nathaniel. 2016. To be cared for: the power of conversion and foreignness of belonging in a Chennai slum. Oakland: University of California Press