Household Environment and Respiratory Infections among Children in Three Low Income Urban Communities of India.

Kailash Chandra Das, International Institute for Population Sciences (IIPS)
Kumudini Das, Pillai's College of Arts, Commerce and Science, Navi Mumbai

The present study makes an attempt in understanding the household environments among the slum and non-slum households in three cities of India namely Bhubaneswar, Jaipur and Pune and its implication for respiratory disease among the children. It uses the data collected in Health of the Urban Poor (HUP, 2011) survey. HUP is a household survey covering 2200 households in each of the three cities of India. The sampling design used in the baseline ensures that study findings are representative of the outcome indicators for each city. Access to basic amenities such as safe drinking water, sanitation and clean cooking fuel is not only an important measure of the socio-economic status of the household but also fundamental to the health of its members. The HUP Survey provides information on several household characteristics that affect household living conditions such as drinking water, toilet facilities, cooking infrastructure, crowding in households and hygienic practices.