Dietary habit, hygiene practice, and disease status among street children: A cross sectional survey

Child rag pickers in Dhaka city are increasing and very little known about their conditions and nutritional status. They lead a very vulnerable life and high risk of prone to different kinds of diseases. An observational cross-sectional study was carried out at selected areas of Dhaka to assess food habit, hygiene practice and disease pattern of street children. Data were collected from conveniently selected different areas of Dhaka City like Sadarghat, Gabtoli, Gulistan Airport, Kamlapur railway station. Total 150 street children were interviewed with semi structured pretested questionnaire by face to face interview. Disease history was taken from last six months. The mean age of the children was 10.55 ± 2.96 years. More than half (66.7%) of the respondents were boys. About half of the respondents were day labor. About 83.8% respondents did not have any disease currently. Fever, diarrhea, skin disease, and common cold were seen among 20%-30% respondents. More than 80% respondents had good appetite. Fish and fruits were taken randomly. They did not cut nail on regular basis. It is concluded that street children suffered those diseases which were preventable.