Health and well-being of Nepalese migrant workers abroad

Purpose- Although South Asia is a growing supplier of migrant labour, there is a paucity of research on the health and wellbeing of male Nepalese migrant workers. This study assessed the health and mental wellbeing of Nepalese construction and factory workers employed in Malaysia, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia. Design- A structured questionnaire administered, in and around Nepal’s international airport, to 403 migrants who had worked for over six months in their host countries. Logistic regression was used to investigate factors associated with self-reported health status and mental health symptoms. Findings- Over 13% reported poor or very poor health and nearly a quarter reported mental health issues. Whilst age and exercise were (only) significantly associated with health status, poor work environments and perceived health risks at work were associated with both mental health issues and health status. Research limitations/implications- The study is limited to males only and those working in the factories and the construction industry. To improve migrant health and mental wellbeing, the Government of Nepal and host governments should consider mandatory health insurance and a range of pre-departure and arrival education around general literacy, mental health assessments and workplace health and safety. Originality/value- There have been no known studies on the health and wellbeing of Nepalese migrant construction and factory workers in the Middle East and Malaysia. The strong association between self-reported poor health and perceived work environment is an important issue that policy makers in Nepal and destination countries should address

Risky work: accidents among Nepalese migrant workers in Malaysia, Qatar and Saudi Arabia

Background: Nepal is a growing supplier of migrant labour for factories in Malaysia and building sites in the Middle East. This study assessed the extent of workplace accidents among Nepalese migrant workers in Malaysia, Qatar and Saudi Arabia. Methododology: A questionnaire survey was conducted at Nepal’s main international airport with men who returned from working in Malaysia, Qatar and Saudi Arabia. The questionnaire was completed by 403 migrant workers from these three countries. Where possible the questionnaire was self-administered and interview-administered for those migrant workers with poor literacy skills. A logistic regression was conducted to identify factors associated with accidents at work and health risks perceived by migrant workers themselves. Results: One in six (17%) experienced accidents at work in their host country. This proportion is lower than that reported in previous studies of Nepali migrant workers. Age, country of work, doctor registration and perceived standard of work environment and accommodation are significantly associated with accidents at work. Conclusion: To help improve Nepalese men’s health and well-being whilst working abroad, host countries and the Government of Nepal should ensure that migrants hold health insurance. Mandatory pre-departure and arrival health and safety training is also recommended as a way to reduce risks to the health of migrant workers

Collaborative ‘science of science’ needed to ensure research and education make a difference to practice.

There has been much recent interest in ‘impact of research’, what it means, why we need it, and how we measure it. Much of this has focused on academic research, driven by the need to include impact case studies within submissions to the 2014 Research Excellence Framework (REF). However, the impact of education and practice is also of significant importance. In October 2014 the Centre of Postgraduate Medical Research and Education hosted a symposium exploring issues around impact. The event brought together academics, researchers, and clinicians working in healthcare to hear from a range of presenters. A combination of local and national speakers shared their views on impact in their professional and disciplinary areas

How can we learn about community socio-economic status and poverty in a developing country urban environment? An example from Johannesburg-Soweto, South Africa.

Few tested tools exist to assess poverty and socio-economic status at the community level, particularly in urban developing country environments. Furthermore, there is no real sense of what the community concept actually means. Consequently, this paper aims to describe how formative qualitative research was used to develop a quantitative tool to assess community SES in Johannesburg-Soweto in terms of the terminology used, topics covered, and how it was administered, comparing it to the South African Living Standards and Measurement Study. It also discusses the level of aggregation respondents identified as defining a local community using a drawing/mapping exercise. Focus groups (n=11) were conducted with 15-year-old adolescents and their caregivers from the 1990 Birth-to-Twenty (Bt20) cohort and key informant in-depth interviews (n=17) with prominent members working in the Bt20 communities. This research recognises the importance of involving local people in the design of data collection tools measuring poverty and human well-being

Factors affecting health facility delivery in rural Nawalparasi district of Nepal

Objective: In Nepal, both percentage of women giving birth at health facility and proportion of birth assisted by skilled birth attendant is very low. The purpose of this research was to investigate the factors related to health facility delivery in two levels of care in Nepal: primary health care and tertiary health care facilities. Methods: A cross-sectional household survey was conducted in seven villages of a district lying in plain area of Nepal: Nawalparasi. A structured interview questionnaire was developed and administered face-to-face. Descriptive analysis along with chi-square test and multinomial logistic regression was used to identify the predictors of institutional delivery. Results: Women were significantly more likely to deliver at health care facilities compared to home if the distance was less than one hour, belonged to advantaged caste, had radio, television and motorbike/scooter, decision maker for place of delivery was husband, reported their frequency of antenatal (ANC) visits at 4 or more and belonged to age group 15-19. Conclusion: Women have less control over making decisions related to their choice for place of birth rather it is mostly made by husbands. The findings highlight importance of having four or more ANC visits to the health institutions and that it should be located within one-hour walking distance. Inequity in utilisation of delivery services at health institutions exists as showed by low utilisation of such services by disadvantaged caste

An evaluation of the progress made towards the implementation of treatment summaries for cancer patients across Wessex

This report details an evaluation of the implementation of treatment summaries for cancer patients across the Wessex Deanery, encompassing Hampshire, Dorset and the Isle of Wight. The service evaluation commenced at the end of September 2015 and this report presents the progress made towards the implementation of cancer treatment summaries (CT) across the Wessex Deanery and service users’ experiences of receiving the TSs from two NHS Trusts in the catchment area. The survey results present the progress that has been made in the first six months of implementation and include descriptive data relating to the progress and process of implementation. The qualitative findings from an analysis of service user experience are presented and the findings from the evaluation are discussed in the context of national policy and the wider literature

Current socio-economic measures, and not those measured during infancy, affects bone mass in poor urban South African children

Understanding the impact of socio-economic status (SES) on physical development in children is important, especially in developing countries where considerable inequalities persist. This is the first study to examine the association between SES on bone development at the whole body, femoral neck, and lumbar spine in black children living in Soweto and Johannesburg, South Africa. Linear regression models were used to study associations between SES during infancy and current SES, anthropometric, and DXA-derived bone mass in 9/10-yr-old children (n = 309). Findings suggest that current SES measures, rather than SES during infancy, are stronger predictors of current whole body bone area (BA) and whole body BMC after adjusting for body size, pubertal development, physical activity, habitual dietary calcium intake, and body composition. SES had no significant effect on either hip or spine bone mass. Caregiver's marital/cohabiting status (indicator of social support) and whether there was a television in the home (indicator of greater income) at age 9/10 yr were the most important socio-economic determinants of whole body BA and BMC. SES has a significant independent effect on whole body BMC through its impact on BA. This suggests that poverty alleviation policies in South Africa could have a positive effect on bone health