Health status and working condition of migrant workers: Major public health problems

• Published in: International journal of preventive medicine 2017-01, Vol.8 (1), p.68-68
• Main Author: Bener, Abdulbari
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Access health care; Analysis; Body mass; Cigarettes; Construction contracts; Drinking water; Epidemiology; Health aspects; Health care; Health care services accessibility; Health hazards; Health problems; Health risks; health status; lifestyle; Manual workers; Medical personnel; Migrant labor; Migrant workers; Migrants; Migration; Occupational accidents; Occupational health; Occupational safety and health; Original; Population; Public health; safety; Safety measures; Slavery; Smoking; Soccer; Statistical analysis; Tournaments & championships; Water availability; Workforce; Working conditions; Working hours
• ISSN: 2008-7802; 2008-8213
• DOI: 10.4103/ijpvm.IJPVM_396_16

Background: Very little research and survey have been performed on the occupational health, hazards, and working condition of urban and rural of workers in Qatar. The aim of the current study is to identify the health status, lifestyle condition, working-related problems, and accidents experienced by Indian subcontinental migrants (ISCM) in Qatar and their access to health-care facilities. Methods: This is a cross-sectional study based on a representative sample of 1186 workers and study covering sociodemographic characteristics, medical conditions, and health-seeking behaviors and personal experience. Results: There were statistically significant differences between semi-urban and urban migrant workers in terms of educational, occupation, income, working hours, and accommodation type (P < 0.001). Furthermore, there were statistically significant differences between migrant workers in terms of body mass index, delay in receiving salary, the right to medical insurance and sick day entitlement, cigarettes and shisha smoking, amenities, having on-site safety measure, and sleeping hours (P < 0.01). Moreover, there were statistically significant differences between semi-urban and urban migrant workers in terms of pain, cardiopulmonary, gastrointestinal, and pseudoneurologic and medical symptoms (P < 0.01). Multiple logistic regression was used for predictors' health problems in migrant workers such as the absence of drinking water, tap water availability, safety facility tools, occupational status, shisha smoking, toilet facility, working hours, and accommodation type were considered the strong predictors. Conclusions: The current study revealed that there is a lack of insufficient information for the migrants about their lifestyle, medical conditions, health risks, injury, and rights privilege in relation to legal working condition and health services.