Processes and discourses in health behaviour ethnography of an industrial slum

Abstract

Background: Health Behaviour cannot be separated from the way life is led by the person who is embedded in family, community and the larger world. During 2005-2006, the Special Economic Zone policy (SEZ) came into effect providing simplification of procedures to encourage economic activity. National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) was launched around the same time to improve resources and decentralisation in health sector. After a decade, this study uses health behaviour as a tool to explore how these interventions have played out in a village . Veghapar actually has been converted into a slum due to lack of civic provisions in spite of tremendous demographic changes as a result of huge influx of migrant labourers. Methods: Lived experiences of participants as source of knowledge is considered crucial in this study. Therefore, an ethnographic study is undertaken considering that health behaviour cannot be an isolated response to illness but is concomitant to other aspects of daily life. Ethnography as a mode of exploring and describing the experiences of people from their own perspective contribute to a nuanced understanding of the phenomenon. Discussion: Life stories of people from the four communities in Veghpar namely: Darbars, Dalits, Migrant labourers and Tribal are discussed to throw light on health behaviour processes. Though health behaviour models are reviewed in literature review, their juxtaposition in field situation is critiqued here. Community as a concept is generally used in different health programmes assuming its benevolence and here, an attempt is made to critically look at community in the studied area. People s engagement with government health system is explored while understanding the processes involved in health behaviour. Results: Health Behaviour is usually the result of person s position in the system, and differentiation occurs at family, community level which is influenced by many factors including gender, caste, age and place of residence. The social and environmental inequality.