Perception and Behaviour Related to Non Communicable Diseases among Dhaka City Dwellers: A Qualitative Study

Abstract

Original Research Article Bangladesh's growing burden of Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) is attributable to increasing urbanization and coinciding behavioral shifts together with a dietary shift. This study aims to examine the views and expectations of respondents in an urban slum population of Dhaka on NCDs and dietary improvements. A general understanding of the conduct related to NCDs among residents in the slum community has been employed with qualitative methods. Three men and three women, from diverse cultures, performed core informant interviews to emphasize on problems that were found in the interviews. Four major themes emerged: i) financial hardship influencing health ii) urbanized dietary habits iii) tobacco and sweetened tea as foundations of daily existence iv) A health-conscious action using local tools. One significant result was that the respondents viewed deprivation as one of the main triggers of NCDs, along with general economic development. A remarkable finding was that the poor were perceived to be one of the main causes by NCDs even with general economic improvement. This study explains how urban slum residents in Dhaka viewed their everyday activities in relation to NCD's and diet as shifting from rural to urbanized lifestyles. Our study has found that expectations and attitudes of NCDs are negative as well as encouragetive, and may lead to the optimal implementation of NCD preventive and health promotion services.