Antecedent factors and primary intervention of risk behaviour among street connected children in Kuala Lumpur Malaysia

Street-connected children are at high risk of engaging in risk behaviour due to the influence of their social and physical environment. Extended and continuous exposure to the street environment enhances this process, shaping their behaviour and cognitive development of these street-connected children. This study aims to investigate the engagement of street-connected children in risk behaviours, examine the factors that influence street-connected children to engage in the risk behaviour and propose an intervention strategy to mitigate their engagement in the risk behaviour. The purposive sampling technique was employed by collecting information from 303 participants aged 9 to 17 years. Descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation, and multiple regression analysis were conducted for data analysis. The findings reveal that peer influence significantly predicts the engagement of street-connected children in risk behaviours. In contrast, parental working status, educational barriers, housing environment, emotional and psychological well-being, and life experiences in school were not found to be significant factors influencing their engagement in risk behaviour. Based on these results, intervention strategies were proposed to reduce the engagement of street-connected children in risk behaviour. The proposed intervention can offer valuable insights for social workers and service providers to enhance the health-related behaviours and social well-being within this population.