Abstract            Volume:6  Issue-2  Year-2018         Original Research Articles

Online ISSN : 2347 - 3215 Issues : 12 per year Publisher : Excellent Publishers Email : editorijcret@gmail.com

Migrant labourers in Kerala are a significant economic force in the state. There are about 2.5 million internal migrants in the state. Every year, migrant population increases by 2.35 lakh people. The objective was to assess the morbidity status and addictions among migrants in Thrissur District, Kerala and to assess the health seeking behaviour of migrant workers in Thrissur, Kerala. This was a cross - sectional study conducted at a major construction site in Thrissur District. Data from 238 migrant construction workers in Thrissur, was collected using a pre- tested questionnaire. Data was analysed using SPSS software. A total of 238 male workers were included in the study. Headache (27.8%) was the most common morbidity followed by heartburn (20.1%) and back ache in 18.9 % of the migrants. Regarding the addictions, 50.4 % of them were smokers, 81.5 % were alcoholics and 18.1 % addicted to cannabis. Regarding the health seeking behavior, only 2.1 % visited a hospital while 4.2 % visited doctors. Migrants have a different morbidity profile, higher prevalence of addictions as related to the rest of the population. Language barriers and work timings also influenced their health seeking behaviour.

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