Factors Influencing The Health-seeking Behaviour of Adolescent Girls in Chennai Slums

Saraswathi Nandhini R; Sathyamurthi K

Saraswathi Nandhini R Full-time Research Scholar (UGC-SRF), Madras School of Social Work, Chennai
Sathyamurthi K Research Supervisor, Head, Department of Research (M.Phil&Ph.D) in Social Work, Controller of Examinations, Madras School of Social Work, Chennai

Keywords: Health-Seeking Behaviour, Adolescent Girls, Influencing Factors, Social Work Model, Slums

Abstract

Adolescent girls are a key asset of our country. Investments in adolescents will have an immediate, direct and positive impact on India's health goals and the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals. This paper explores the health-seeking behaviour of unmarried adolescent girls residing in the underprivileged belt of urban spaces, and analyses the factors that influence such behaviours. Health-seeking behaviour is a sequence of remedial actions that
individuals undertake to rectify perceived ill health. It is a positive behaviour which helps the persons to improve their health continuum from negative health to positive health. Given that a significant proportion of the slum dwellers face social burdens and health problems far worse than their non-slum and rural counterparts, and thirty percent of the adolescent girls' population (RAY, Tamil Nadu Slum Clearance Board, 20 July 2015) of Chennai reside in slums, 330 unmarried adolescent girls from 33 slums were selected using Probability Proportional to the Size Linear Systematic Sampling design. In this paper, a social work model for promoting health-seeking behaviour for adolescent girls has been suggested, based on the factors influencing such behaviour.