1. Health-Related Practices of Urban Migrant Workers in Metro Manila: Determinants and Outcomes
Kenneth Jim Joseph Jimeno, MHSS, RN
Behavioral Sciences Department, College of Liberal Arts
De La Salle University–Manila
INTRODUCTION
Table 4. Association of civil status and HRP
Fisher’s exact
Cramer’s V
Interpretation
HRP
Physical Activity
Nutrition
Sleeping Pattern
.191
.040
.891
.568
.2560
.2585
.1076
.1252
Not significant
Significant
There are an estimated 1 billion migrants in the world today of whom 214 million international migrants and 740 million internal migrants (IOM, 2013).
In the Philippines, external migrants constitute only 4.5% of all migrants (Philippine Statistics Authority, 2012).
Two-thirds of the world population will be residing in cities by 2050 (UNDESA, 2014).
There is an immediate concern on the impact of urban migration in the healthcare system (Mou et al., 2015).
No study in the Philippines to date that has explored this topic in the advent of growing mobility across cities and adjacent areas.
This study aims to describe the health-related practices of urban migrant workers in Metro Manila. It also ascertains the relationships of health-related practices with personal characteristics and health condition. In addition, the study determines the correlation between health condition and work performance
Table 5. Correlation of educational attainment and HRP
Spearman’s rho (rs)
p-value
Interpretation
HRP
Physical Activity
Nutrition
Sleeping Pattern
.1959
.0503
.0133
.1836
.0327
.5869
.8857
.0456
Significant
Not significant
Table 6. Association of occupation type and HRP
Table 7. Correlation of income level and HRP
Fisher’s exact
Cramer’s V
Interpretation
HRP
Physical Activity
Nutrition
Sleeping Pattern
.033
.006
.063
.042
.2943
.3346
.2685
.2731
Significant
Not significant
Spearman’s rho (rs)
p-value
Interpretation
HRP
Physical Activity
Nutrition
Sleeping Pattern
+.0123
−.1154
−.2175
+.2082
.8946
.2112
.0175
.0231
Not significant
Significant
Table 8. Association of residential arrangement and HRP
Fisher’s exact
Cramer’s V
Interpretation
HRP
Physical Activity
Nutrition
Sleeping Pattern
0.944
0.870
0.155
0.845
0.1345
0.1429
0.2435
0.1239
Not significant
METHODOLOGY
Table 9. Correlation matrix of HRP and health condition
HRP
Physical Activity
Nutrition
Sleeping Pattern
Health Condition
0.1481
(0.1079)
−0.0516
(0.5771)
−0.0504
(0.5863)
0.3711
(0.0000)
Not significant
Significant
Physical Health
0.0024
(0.9791)
0.0216
(0.8160)
0.0293
(0.7521)
0.1178
(0.2019)
Psychological Health
0.1393
(0.1309)
−0.1194
(0.1960)
−0.1902
(0.0383)
0.3771
Emotional Health
0.1463
(0.1124)
0.0035
(0.9696)
−0.0275
(0.7665)
0.2236
(0.0145)
Social Health
0.1379
(0.1347)
−0.0172
(0.8527)
0.0070
(0.9394)
0.0909
(0.3254)
Research Design
Cross-sectional, correlational study
Population & Sampling
Purposive sampling
Inclusion criteria:
Filipinos working regularly in Metro Manila;
Living outside Metro Manila or returning back to place of origin every week;
Age of at least 18 years;
No functional limitation.
Instrumentation
53-item self-administered survey questionnaire
Primary outcome: 5-point Likert scale indicating frequency of engagement
Data Analysis
Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient or Spearman’s rho (rs)
Fisher’s exact and Cramer’s V (for nominal-ordinal variables)
Stata/MP version 14.0
Association/correlation is significant when P <.05
Table 9. Correlation matrix of health condition and work performance
Health Condition
Physical Health
Psychological Health
Emotional Health
Social Health
Work Performance
(0.0345)
(0.6668)
0.1023
(0.2681)
0.0974
(0.2918)
(0.0000)
Significant
Not significant
Productivity
(0.0429)
(0.3068)
0.0203
(0.8269)
0.0642
(0.4880)
(0.0001)
Adherence to Rules
(0.0088)
− (0.9199)
0.1239
(0.1794)
0.1376
(0.1355)
(0.0008)
RESULTS
CONCLUSION
Sociodemographic Profile
119 respondents mostly from Bulacan (n=80), Rizal (n=16) and Cavite (n=11)
Majority of them were working in Quezon City (n=56) and Manila (n=21)
Education and occupation are major determinants of health-related practices among urban migrant workers in Metro Manila.
Sleep tends to have the most impact on health while interpersonal relationships affect work performance.
Healthy migrant hypothesis appears true for this population and the results can be attributed to resiliency, family-oriented values, and importance of harmonious relationships in Filipino culture.
The findings of this study can be used in developing migrant-sensitive health system in cities and further inquiry in this emerging research field.
RECOMMENDATIONS
Table 1. Personal characteristics of urban migrant workers
Future Research
A cohort study tracking the exposure of urban migrant workers will be more appropriate to establish the causality.
Exploration of other practices that are perceived to contribute to their health condition and work performance through qualitative study is important.
Tracing proximate determinants would help in identifying the links among variables and understanding the collective behavior of migrant workers in cities.
Program Intervention
Establish a government agency to offer specialized services to urban migrant workers.
Conduct training on the nexus of urbanization, migration, and health for practitioners.
Develop partnerships and networks in resource-poor settings.
Frequency (n=119)
Percentage (%)
Age
18 to 25 y/o
26 y/o & above 68 51
57.14
42.86
Sex
Male
Female 71 48
59.66
40.34
Civil Status
Single
Married
111 8
93.28
6.72
Education
Non-college
College
Postgraduate 13 94 12
10.92
78.99
10.08
Frequency (n=119)
Percentage (%)
Occupation
Blue-collar
White-collar 50 69
42.02
57.98
Income (Monthly in PHP)
& below to
Above
(1 USD = 50 PHP) 56 52 11
47.06
43.70
9.24
Residential Arrangement
Alone
With family
With relatives
With friends or colleagues 13 90 8
10.92
75.63
6.72
Table 2. Correlation of age group and HRP
Spearman’s rho (rs)
p-value
Interpretation
HRP
Physical Activity
Nutrition
Sleeping Pattern
−.0427
−.1891
−.1955
−.0022
.6447
.0394
.0331
.9814
Not significant
Significant