Impact of COVID-19 on Livelihoods of Slum Households in Agra City, India

Abstract

Introduction: An outbreak of the contagious COVID-19 virus will therefore be deeply challenging to contain in most informal settlements of the Global South.

Objectives: An attempt was made to assess the socioeconomic, employment, and livelihood status of urban slum dwellers in India. To evaluate the perception of the COVID-19 and lockdown among the residents of surveyed slums. What factors motivate households to wash their hands regularly?

Methods: Using a systematic multistage sampling technique, 600 samples were collected from three slums of the Agra city of Uttar Pradesh, India in June-July 2020, after the slowdown of the first COVID-19 wave.

Results: It is observed that male-headed households were aware of hand washing as a coping strategy to deal with COVID-19. The binary logistic regression model was used to examine the determinants of washing hands regularly. The results from Binary Logistic Regression show that households that have exclusive access to latrines, bathrooms, and water storage capacity are more likely to be willing to wash their hands regularly than others.

Conclusions: The findings from this study are very useful for academicians working in informal settlements, urban health, and social issues because the study highlights the susceptibility of slum dwellers and their coping behaviours to deal with a current health crisis, i.e., COVID-19.