Occupational Health Hazards of Rickshaw Pullers in Lower Middle Income Country, India

BACKGROUND: Rickshaw pullers work in unorganized sector. Ignorance, poverty, and strenuous physical exertion make them vulnerable to ill health and disease. OBJECTIVES: To assess the magnitude and pattern of morbidity, associated sociodemographic factors, and health-seeking behavior of the participants. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 305 participants. Predesigned, pretested questionnaire was used for data collection. Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) 16 version was used for data analysis. RESULTS: About 61% of the participants had morbidity in their lifetime and 49.5% fell sick in the last 15 days. Substance abuse in any form was reported by 73.1%. Grade-1 hypertension was reported in 28.2% and 7.5% was having grade-2 hypertension. Age, monthly income, substance abuse, and availing of health services were significantly associated with the development of health problems. CONCLUSION: Need to devise interventions that will focus on health awareness and early health-seeking behavior among the participants.