Life Style and Risk Behavior of Street Children in Bangladesh: A Health Perspective

Background: Street children concern to millions of deprived boys and girls who have adopted the street as their residence. They grow up where tranquility and physical and emotional stability are frequently threatened. The purpose is to have an empathetic look into the lives of street children for identifying their health-related needs. Method: A cross sectional descriptive type of study was conducted among 125 street children between the ages 8 to 14 years who were available at different intercept points of Dhaka city, Bangladesh. The information was collected through face-to-face interview using a structured questionnaire. An attempt was made to relate their lifestyle, risk behavior and health impact upon the socio demographic characteristics. Result: According to the statement of street children, poverty (41%) is the main reason behind enforcing the children to stay and work on the street. They pass their leisure by playing games, roaming around by watching video/cinema but on the other side of the coin, they are frequently abused (80.8%) either physically or sexually. Regarding health, about 87.2% of street children were suffering from different type of diseases as accidental injury, skin infection, hepatitis, sexually transmitted diseases and warm infestation. Conclusion: A careful examination of the lives of these children will provide a clearer understanding of their disadvantageous life. A better diagnosis of the contributing factors will help to minimize the extent of the problems and also to develop innovative approaches and ensure a healthy lifestyle, protection and rehabilitation for those children.