A Research Report Submitted in Partial /Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Award of the Bachelor Degree of Science in Economics, Project Planning and Management (BSC.PPM) of Mzumbe University.
2020
The major objective of this study was to assess the factors affecting health-seeking behavior among street children, by specifically objectives were identifying the kind of illnesses that frequently affects street children and determining the important factors that influence the emergence of street children. The study employed the cross-sectional survey design to achieve the desired research objective. Quantitative and qualitative approaches were used in analyzing data. Stata program was used in preparation of frequencies and percentages from participants‟ responses. The study included a sample of 100 respondents from the different sites of five districts in Dar es Salaam such as mnazi mmoja, karakoo market area, tandika sokoni, mbagala, kurasini and ubungo terminal. The results from probit model point out the age of a person, income level, sex, and status of street children influence health-seeking behavior, to the specific objective one the study found that street children suffered frequently health problem such as injuries from accidents and typhoid, of all the children filled the questionnaires 20% of street children suffered Typhoid and injured and also another specific objective poverty found to be the most contributing cause of street children, of all the children filled the questionnaires, 70% of street children said poverty has caused them to leave away their homes. The results of our findings reveal that most of the street children were suffered frequently with typhoid and injured, street children who were respondents said poverty has caused them to leave away their homes and also indicated that street children faced several challenges such as limited opportunities in access health care, inadequate information, and political influence. Therefore grounded on the results, the following recommendations were produced such as; The Government of the United Republic of Tanzania should enable the welfare of their people in cost of living and also standard of living to reduce the rate of poverty to their citizen, NGOs should take the responsibilities to care for and offer effective services to street children to protect them from are disease frequently affect them such as typhoid and injured. And also There is a need to design sustainable programs which will ensure the provision of health services to the street children either by use identification card which they are used when going to seek health services and also the government should make sure more knowledge is being provided to street children either by assisting them to go to school or campaigns should be done to the society through the government agency