Nutritional status and substance abuse among street children in South India

Abstract

Introduction: Street children are the most neglected and vulnerable population group in most of the urban cities in India, and are at risk of undernutrition, and substance abuse. Aims & Objectives:  To assess the nutritional status, prevalence of anemia, risk behavior and substance abuse among street children. Material & Methods: It was a street based cross-sectional study carried out on the streets of Hyderabad. Data on age, schooling, family history, reasons for street life, number of years on street etc was collected on pre-designed proforma. Anthropometric measurements such as height and weight were measured and history of substance abuse was obtained from all children, while sexual history was obtained from 12-18 years children. 20 µL finger prick blood sample was collected for hemoglobin estimation. Association was tested using chi square analyses. Results: A total of 305 children of 8-18 years of age were covered. The prevalence of thinness was 26% and that of anemia was 54% among street children. It was observed that about 42% of street children were involved in substance abuse and 14% in sexual risk behaviour. Risk of substance abuse was higher among children staying in railway premises, on street for more than 5 yrs and working in hotels. Sexual involvement was more prevalent among children living in railway or bus station premises and among those living on street for >5 years. Conclusion: Prevalence of anemia was high among street children. The risk of substance abuse and sexual risk behavior was significantly associated with place and duration of stay on the streets.