HEALTH CONDITION OF WOMEN LIVING IN SLUMS: A CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY

Abstract

Slum dwellers speak volumes about their poor and deprived plight. This study aimed to explore the prevalence of communicable disease, to inspect the incidence of noncommunicable/metabolic disorders, to discover the occurrence of reproductive diseases, and to investigate the prevalence of minor ailments among the women dwelling in slums of selected districts of Tamil Nadu. This study adopted a cross-sectional study pattern. Using the purposive sampling technique, 1600 mon pregnant non lactating women, aged between 19-55 years were selected from the slums of four major districts of Tamil Nadu, namely Chennai, Coimbatore, Madurai and Tiruchirappalli. These women lived in the slums of Tamil Nadu and were deprived of education and lack proper housing, experienced infectious diseases, suffered from noncommunicable/metabolic disorders, reproductive health issues, and specific minor ailments and deficiency diseases. The findings of the study revealed specific numbers that defined the exact health conditions of women in the slums of Tamil Nadu. The findings of the study would encourage governmental and non-governmental agencies to plan new policies.