The menace of street hawking in Aba metropolis, South-East Nigeria

Full Length Research Paper

The menace of street hawking in Aba metropolis, South-East Nigeria

Ijeoma Nduka¹ and Chika O. Duru*²

¹Department of Community Medicine

^*2Department of Paediatrics, Niger Delta University, Wilberforce Island, Amassoma, Bayelsa State, Nigeria

*Corresponding authors e-mail: [email protected]

Developing countries such as Nigeria are burdened with over population leading to high rates of unemployment thus contributing to the large number of people seen on the streets engaging in hawking activities. The aim of this study was to determine the socio-demographic characteristics of hawkers as well as the health and social implications of street hawking and the factors contributing to it. This was a descriptive cross-sectional study conducted among 300 hawkers who were recruited by simple random sampling from major streets, busy markets and the central motor parks in Aba, South-East Nigeria in January 2014. Data was collected through in-depth interview and observation of the participants and the use of interviewer administered questionnaires. Interviews were recorded and extracts presented in related themes. SPSS version 17 was used for analysis. Of the 300 respondents, 108 (36.0%) were males while 192 (64.0%) were females giving a male: female ratio of 0.6:1. Over half; 174 (58.0%) were children between the ages of 10 and 19years. Fifty-two (17.3%) did not have any formal education. Major reason for engaging in hawking was to support the family income however, the majority 216 (72.0%) were willing to quit hawking if offered an alternative means of livelihood. The awareness of HIV/AIDS vulnerability and HCT services among the respondents were low but this was not statistically significantly (X²=0.56; P=0.45 and X²=0.79; P=0.37 respectively).This study revealed that unemployment and poverty were factors contributing to hawking activities. Street hawking poses numerous risks and hinders educational development. Policy implementation against street hawking and poverty alleviation through job creation are recommended to stop the menace of street hawking in Nigeria.

Keywords: Street hawking, risks, factors, Aba, Nigeria