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Purpose- Although South Asia is a growing supplier of migrant labour, there is a paucity of research on the health and wellbeing of male Nepalese migrant workers. This study assessed the health and mental wellbeing of Nepalese construction and factory workers employed in Malaysia, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia. Design- 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% reported poor or very poor health and nearly a quarter reported mental health issues. Whilst age and exercise were (only) significantly associated with health status, poor work environments and perceived health risks at work 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 wellbeing, the Government of Nepal 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 wellbeing 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.

Background: Nepal is a growing supplier of migrant labour for factories in Malaysia and building sites in the Middle East. This study assessed the extent of workplace accidents among Nepalese migrant workers in Malaysia, Qatar and Saudi Arabia. Methododology: A questionnaire survey was conducted at Nepal’s main international airport with men who returned from working in Malaysia, Qatar and Saudi Arabia. The questionnaire was completed by 403 migrant workers from these three countries. Where possible the questionnaire was self-administered and interview-administered for those migrant workers with poor literacy skills. A logistic regression was conducted to identify factors associated with accidents at work and health risks perceived by migrant workers themselves. Results: One in six (17%) experienced accidents at work in their host country. This proportion is lower than that reported in previous studies of Nepali migrant workers. Age, country of work, doctor registration and perceived standard of work environment and accommodation are significantly associated with accidents at work. Conclusion: To help improve Nepalese men’s health and well-being whilst working abroad, host countries and the Government of Nepal should ensure that migrants hold health insurance. Mandatory pre-departure and arrival health and safety training is also recommended as a way to reduce risks to the health of migrant workers.

This thesis investigates the health status of and health risks to male Nepalese migrant construction and factory workers in the Middle East (West Asia) and Malaysia. After the more seasonal migration to India, the Middle East and Malaysia are the second most popular destinations for Nepalese workers. Differences in the health status and health risks for Nepalese workers associated with the type of work-place, demographic, socio-economic and health characteristics have been investigated in this Ph.D. This study adopted self-reported tools to measure general physical and mental health. These health risks have been measured in terms of perceived health risks and experience of work-related accidents at work. This study uses a mixed-methods approach including questionnaires and in-depth interviews with male Nepalese migrant workers, upon their return to, or prior to their departure from Nepal. Questionnaire data (n=403) estimated the health status of migrant workers and the level of risk to which they are exposed. The interviews (n=20) with a sub-sample of the survey population has offered detailed. Ethical approval granted by the Nepal Health Research Council. Nearly half of the respondents (46%) were aged 20 to 29, most were married (91%), without formal education or only had completed primary education (71%). Most (87%) rated their health as “very good/good or fair”. More than three quarters (79%) perceived their work environment as “very good/good or fair”. Two-thirds (65%) were satisfied with their accommodation abroad. The majority had semi-skilled jobs (69%) and 71% had registered with a doctor; 62% had national insurance; 17% had experienced a work accident. Overall, age was associated with self-reported poor health status as health appeared to worsen with increasing age. Perceived diet, health risks and the work environment were strongly associated with self-reported poor health status. Age, satisfaction with accommodation, work environment and country of work w

Background: There is little specific published research which examines the health issues among Nepalese migrant workers in the Middle Eastern countries. In particular, it examines the nature and quality of health care situation, work-related health risks, working condition and living condition in host countries. Aim: This study reviewed the literature about work-related health risks, access to health care, working and living condition of Nepalese migrant workers in the Middle East. Method: The published literature was searched through electronic databases such as CINAHL and Medline using a number of key words and their combinations, and the searching of published books and reports from number of UN agencies. Bibliographies of published articles retrieved from electronic database searches were searched in turn, and relevant articles retrieved for further review. Results: This review of the literature suggested that being a migrant worker involves number of specific risks, including anxiety, depression, tuberculosis and eye injury. In addition to this, work-related accidents and injury, headache, suicide attempts, cardiac arrests, mental illness and high death rates are further evidence of health risks among Asian migrant workers working in the Middle East. Furthermore, these workforces generally have poor working and living conditions. Conclusion: Migrant workers mainly from Nepal and other Asian countries, working in the Middle East face various work-related risks including accidents at work; stress and mental health issues and lifestyle related factors such as illegal drinking. Thus, future research needs to focus attention on minority ethnic groups in the Middle Eastern countries.

Background: The health status and lifestyle of migrants is often poorer than that of the general population of their host countries. The Nepalese represent a relatively small, but growing, immigrant community in the UK, about whom very little is known in term of public health. Therefore, our study examined the health and lifestyle of Nepalese migrants in the UK. Methods: A cross-sectional survey of Nepalese migrants in UK was conducted in early 2007 using a postal, self-administered questionnaire in England and Scotland (n = 312), and telephone interviews in Wales (n = 15). The total response rate was 68% (327 out of 480). Data were analyzed to establish whether there are associations between socio-economic and lifestyle factors. A multivariate binary logistic regression was applied to find out independent effect of personal factors on health status. Results: The majority of respondents was male (75%), aged between 30 and 45 (66%), married or had a civil partner (83%), had university education (47%) and an annual family income (69%) ranging from £5,035 to £33,300. More than one third (39%) of the respondents have lived in the UK for 1 to 5 years and approximately half (46%) were longer-term residents. Most (95%) were registered with a family doctor, but only 38% with a dentist. A low proportion (14%) of respondents smoked but more than half (61%) consumed alcohol. More than half (57%) did not do regular exercises and nearly one fourth (23%) of respondents rated their health as poor. Self reported 'good' health status of the respondents was independently associated with immigration status and doing regular exercise Conclusion: The self reported health status and lifestyle, health seeking behaviour of Nepalese people who are residing in UK appears to be good. However, the overall regular exercise and dentist registration was rather poor. Health promotion, especially aimed at Nepalese migrants could help encourage them to exercise regularly and assist them to register

Rapid Response to: EDITORIALS: Gurprit Pannu, Shahid Zaman, Neeraj Bhala, and Rashid Zaman Alcohol use in South Asians in the UK. BMJ 2009; 339: b4028