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Beyond the margins: antenatal health and healthcare behaviours among homeless women in Kolkata Municipal Corporation, India

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  23 September 2024

Margubur Rahaman Open the ORCID record for Margubur Rahaman [Opens in a new window]  and
Kailash Chandra Das Open the ORCID record for Kailash Chandra Das [Opens in a new window]
Margubur Rahaman*
Affiliation:
Department of Migration & Urban Studies, International Institute for Population Sciences (IIPS), Mumbai, India Research Associate, Govind Ballabh Pant Social Science Institute, Prayagraj, India
Kailash Chandra Das
Affiliation:
Department of Migration & Urban Studies, International Institute for Population Sciences (IIPS), Mumbai, India
*
Corresponding author: Margubur Rahaman; Emails: [email protected]; [email protected]
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Abstract

Despite high childbearing rates among homeless women in India, the antenatal health and healthcare behaviours among such population remain poorly understood. To address this research gap, a mixed-methods approach was employed in the present study, involving interviews with a sample of 400 women aged 15–49 years, utilising time and location sampling techniques. Additionally, a purposeful sample of 52 women from the same age group participated in in-depth interviews. The respondents exhibited rampant socio-economic backwardness, including chronic homelessness (36%), no formal education (54%), engagement in rag picking (31%), and low income levels. About 56% of the women reported poor self-rated health (SRH), notably higher among those aged 35 and above and those living alone (68%). Poor SRH was also prevalent among the ever married (61%), ragpickers (61%), beggars (62%), chronic homeless individuals (62%), tobacco (60%) and alcohol consumers (61%), and those with chronic diseases (61%). Common health issues included depression or anxiety (56%) and iron deficiency anaemia (35%). The level of unmet healthcare needs was 41%, with significant variation across diseases. Lack of reproductive health rights and awareness, socio-cultural beliefs, stigma, socio-economic poverty, poor quality of public healthcare services, irregularity in charity-run healthcare, and time constraints hindered antenatal care visits. The study underscores the urgent need for population-centric programmes and policies aimed at promoting reproductive health to achieve Sustainable Development Goal 3 of ‘Good health and wellbeing’ by 2030.

Keywords

homelessnessantenatal healthhealth-seeking behaviorsSRH
Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Biosocial Science , Volume 56 , Issue 5 , September 2024 , pp. 864 - 884
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2024. Published by Cambridge University Press

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