Behavioral impact on kidney function among Indonesian migrant workers

Abstract

Migrant workers constitute 18% of the total number of Indonesian end stage renal disease (ESRD) patients receiving hemodialysis (HD). The tragedy is that, they usually learn only when it is too late to prevent or cure it, they experience very few symptoms. This study aimed to analyze the behavior of migrant workers undergoing hemodialysis and how they contracted this disease. A qualitative design with a phenomenological approach was employed to carry out on the former migrant workers suffering from chronic kidney disease (CKD). In-depth interviews were used for data collection, and data validation used triangulation and confirmability. Data analysis techniques were performed by reducing and interpreting the evidence. It was found that migrant worker behavior prior to their overseas employment was extremely harmful. They often drank various brands of energy drinks, and adopted the dietary habits of the country where they are employed, such as drinking alcohol, soft drinks, and regular fast food as opposed to drinking water, eating vegetables, and fruit. They also did not exercise regularly. They pursued activities influenced by the work system and individual interests to earn extra income, with the priority to work as much overtime as possible. Consequently, the problems of migrant workers' dietary behavior, added to hereditary hypertensive disease, has directly impacted their kidney function. This study establishes that migrant workers have little knowledge about “healthy lifestyles” and causes of CKD. Mistaken perceptions and attitudes of the migrant workers supported the harmful cultures in the migrant countries.