Rapid Rural Appraisal of a Rural Village in Sabah
Keywords:
Rapid Rural Appraisal - SabahAbstract
Introduction
Rapid Rural Appraisal (RRA) is a systematic, semi-structured activity carried out in the field by a multidisciplinary team that is designed to obtain new information and hypotheses about rural life. This article reports the results of an RRA conducted in Kampung Paris 1 (KGP1), Kinabatangan, Sabah under the Annual Health Promotion Program of the School of Medicine, Universiti Malaysia Sabah.
Methods
A systematic random sampling was used to recruit the villagers and data was obtained through compilation of pre-existing data, field observation, structured interviews with key informants and villagers.
Results
Cardiorespiratory diseases were prevalent in KGP1. Common water sources such as rain water collected in dug wells in KGP1 were unhygienic. Dangerous toxic fumes were produced by the burning of municipal wastes nearby village houses. The villagers of KGP1 were exposed to various farm animals, which may harbor zoonoses. Health care services are limited in KGP1. Villagers who were not poor (>RM897) represented 48% of the population, followed by the poor (RM503-897), 20% and the hardcore poor (<RM503), 32%. 87.9% of the population in KGP1 experienced overcrowding in homes, which was defined as >1.00 person per bedroom.
Conclusions
Poor water hygiene, polluted air from open burning, exposure to farm animals, poverty, poor education, overcrowding and inadequate health care services were among the few possible factors affecting the health of villagers in KGP1. Formal rigorous research should be conducted in the future to facilitate specific health interventions in areas of need such as KGP1.
Â
References
McCracken JA, Pretty JN, Conway GR. An introduction to rapid rural appraisal for agricultural development. London: International Institute For Environment And Development; 1988.
Chambers R. The origins and practice of participatory rural appraisal. World Development. 1994; 22(7): 953-69.
Chambers R. Rapid rural appraisal: rationale and repertoire. Public Administration and Development. 1981; 1:95-106.
Rhodes T, Stimson GV, Fitch C, Ball A, Renton A. Rapid assessment, injecting drug use, and public health. Lancet. 1999;354 :65-68.
Bauer E. & Hoffman V. Participatory Rural Appraisal - a tool for extension? Potentials and Limitations. Twelfth European Seminar on Extension Education, Thessaloniki, 1995.
Pusat Jalur Lebar Communiti. PJK Kg Paris 1 [homepage on the internet]. Kinabatangan, Sabah: MSD Technologies; [updated 2010 Oct 15; cited 2012 May 24]. Available from: http://kgparis1.pjk.com.my/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=23&Itemid=48.
Ragayah HMZ. Understanding the formulation of the revised poverty line in Malaysia. Akademika. 2007; 70:21-39.
Housing Bill 2003, United Kingdom. Cited 2012 Nov 30. Available from: http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200304/cmbills/011/2004011.htm.
Wisner B, Adams J, editors. Environmental health in emergencies and disasters: a practical guide. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2003.
World Bank. Pollution prevention and abatement handbook. Washington, DC: World Bank; 1998.
Review of environmental and health effects of waste management: municipal solid waste and similar wastes. United Kingdom: Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs; 2002.
New Sabah Times [homepage on the internet]. Sabah: New Sabah Times; [updated 2012 Jan 26; cited 2012 May 24]. Available from: http://www.newsabahtimes.com.my/nstweb/fullstory/55607.
Dying for change. World Health Organization, the World Bank, Voices of the Poor; 2002.
Toivanen S, Hemstrom O. Income differences in cardiovascular disease: is the contribution from work similar in prevalence versus mortality outcomes? Int J Behav Med. 2006; 13(1):89-100.
Ecob R, Smith GD. Income and health: what is the nature of the relationship? Social Science & Medicine. 1999; 48:693-705.
Clark D & Royer H. The effect of education on adult health and mortality: evidence from Britain. Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge: National Bureau of Economic Research Paper Series; 2010.
Levinson W. Review of medical microbiology and immunology. Twelfth edition. United States: McGraw-Hill Medical; 2012.
Food Safety Information Council. Food Poisoning Bacteria [homepage on the Internet]. Australia: Food Safery Information Council; [updated 2003; cited 2012 May 21]. Available from: http://www.foodsafety.asn.au/factsheets/foodpoisoningbacteri2249.cfm).
Duflo E, Greenston M, Hanna R. Cooking stoves, indoor air pollution and respiratory health in rural Orissa, India. Massachusetts: Massachusetts Institute of Technology; 2007.
Diet, nutrition and the prevention of chronic diseases. Geneva: World Health Organization, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, WHO technical report series; 2003.
World Health Organization. Water Sanitation Health, What are the health risks related to overcrowding [homepage on the internet]. Geneva: World Health Organization; [updated 2012; cited 2012 May 24]. Available from: http://www.who.int/water_sanitation_health/emergencies/qa/emergencies_qa9/en/index.html.
Mahdavinejad M, Bemanian M, Farahani SF, Tajik A. Role of toilet type in transmission of infections. Academic Research International. 2011; 1(2):110-13.
