CAUSES AND HEALTH EFFECTS ON CHILDREN WORKING IN AUTOMOBILE WORKSHOPS OF PESHAWAR, PAKISTAN

Abstract

Objective: To determine the causes and health effects of children working in automobile workshops in Peshawar, Pakistan.

Materials & Methods: From February to July 2016, a descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted in different automobile workshops in Peshawar. After obtaining consent, data was collected from 200 randomly selected children via questionnaires. The study included children under 15 who were working in automobile workshops in Peshawar, while the children who could not answer the questions were excluded. The data were analyzed using Excel and SPSS version 15.

Results: Most (84%) of the children working in automobile workshops were in the age range of 11-15 years. A major (47%) proportion had below primary level education. According to the study,    parental income for most (44%) children was Rs.11-15,000. 58% of children were living in families having more than 10 members. Poverty was the main cause of working in workshops for 63% of children. As a consequence, 46.77% of children were suffering from GIT problems.

Conclusion: The main causes of children working in automobile workshops were poverty and large families, as a result of working conditions most of the children suffered from gastrointestinal diseases.

           Key Words: Child Health; Income; Automobiles; Poverty; Parents; Employment