Alcohol & Substance Use and its Correlated Risk among Slum Dwellers of Mumbai City

Abstract

Substance use by the dwellers in the urban areas put them into the aggravated health risk and poses questions for their development before the policy makers. This study has attempted to study the substance use by the slum dwellers of Mumbai Slum. Primary data has been collected from 688 slum dwellers across all age groups through structured interview schedule during 2008-2009. Qualitative data has also been collected as a confirmatory measure for quantitative data and for indepth data capture and data analysis. Substance use and treatment seeking has been analyzed. Bi-variate and multivariate logistic regression has been applied as a statistical tool for analysis and indepth analysis. It is found that men should be educated about harmful effects of the consumption of tobacco and substance. Mass media like T.V., FM channel could be used for educating males regarding such issues. Many times slums are considered as the buffer for the economy of metros since they provide cheap labour that can support the city's economy by doing all sorts of jobs. However, they become a curse to society when they indulge in unlawful activities including communal fights, domestic violence for petty things and involve in sex trade. Also, as the slum dwellers live in a filthy condition, they often act as viable medium to spread diseases.