Health and well-being of Nepalese migrant workers abroad
International Journal of Migration, Health and Social Care
ISSN: 1747-9894
Article publication date: 10 January 2018
Issue publication date: 26 February 2018
Abstract
Purpose
Although South Asia is a growing supplier of migrant labour, there is a paucity of research on the health and well-being of male Nepalese migrant workers. The purpose of this paper is to assess the health and mental well-being of Nepalese construction and factory workers employed in Malaysia, Qatar and Saudi Arabia.
Design/methodology/approach
A structured questionnaire administered, in and around Nepal’s international airport, to 403 migrants who had worked for over six months in their host countries. Logistic regression was used to investigate factors associated with self-reported health status and mental health symptoms.
Findings
Over 13 per cent reported poor or very poor health and nearly a quarter reported mental health issues. Whilst age and exercise were significantly associated with health status, poor work environments and perceived health risks were associated with both mental health issues and health status.
Research limitations/implications
The study is limited to males only and those working in the factories and the construction industry. To improve migrant health and mental well-being, Nepalese and host governments should consider mandatory health insurance and a range of pre-departure and arrival education around general literacy, mental health assessments and workplace health and safety.
Originality/value
There have been no known studies on the health and well-being of Nepalese migrant construction and factory workers in the Middle East and Malaysia. The strong association between self-reported poor health and perceived work environment is an important issue that policy makers in Nepal and destination countries should address.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
The authors’ sincere appreciation goes to all the study participants. This research has been financially supported by Bournemouth University (BU), the UK and Open Society Foundation (OSF). BU supported AH to travel to Nepal, and the OSF provided the UK subsistence funds only. AH’s co-authors provided research supervision throughout the study.
Citation
Adhikary, P., Sheppard, Z.A., Keen, S. and Teijlingen, E.v. (2018), "Health and well-being of Nepalese migrant workers abroad", International Journal of Migration, Health and Social Care, Vol. 14 No. 1, pp. 96-105. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJMHSC-12-2015-0052
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2018, Emerald Publishing Limited