Research into the effect of internal migration on the health, knowledge levels, attitudes and behaviour of inhabitants of The Town Of Solakli, In The District Of Yuregir, Adana region, Turkey

Introduction and ObjectivesMigration is the movement of individuals or social groups from one country to another, or between geographical regions, which is caused by economic, social or political factors. It is one of the most important phenomena affecting modern societies. Our project involved researching the effect of migration on the health, knowledge levels, attitudes and behaviours of inhabitants of the town of Solakli, in the district of Yuregir, Adana region, Turkey. The objective was to establish whether migration patterns had in fact affected these indicators amongst the population, and to provide a basis for further research projects into this subject in the future.Materials and MethodsThe research involved conducting a cross-sectional and descriptive study of the inhabitants of Solakli town and its surrounding villages. It was established that the town of Solakli consists of 1137 houses. Prior to the research, with a 95% confidence interval and a 5% margin of error, due to lack of statistical information. The minimum sample was established to be 287 houses. This was achieved by completing questionnaires with 684 heads of households (whether male, or female) or persons who were married to the accepted head of the house. The statistical analysis was performed using EPI INFO-6 and SPSS 11.5 software.ResultsThe median age of males included in the study was 38, and that of female participants was 34. The mean age for marriage for migrant males was 22.5 + 5.5 and for females was 18.1 + 3.8. Amongst migrant females, 30.3 % were found to be married to relatives. On average, migrant females lived in households consisting of 5.9 people. The illiteracy rate amongst migrant females was found to be 54.3 %. Only 54.4 % of migrant males finished primary school.We established that 76.6 % of males and 89.3 % of females participating in our research had migrated to the area. The most common (44.8 %) motivation for migration among males was economic, whereas for females the most common (53.6 %) factor was family reasons. The most common places from which migrants were found to have come were Adiyaman, Diyarbakir, Adana and Sanliurfa.The average birth rate amongst women in the research was established to be 4.01 % + 2.5. Amongst non-pregnant female participants in the research, 58.3 % used family planning methods. 66.1 % of women who had given birth had had pre-natal care, which was mostly provided by healthcare professionals. 99.1 % of women who gave birth at home were migrants.A total of 69 participants were aged 65 or above. The mean age of these people was 71.3 + 6.3. 82.7 % of these elderly people were able to take care of themselves. 53.6 % of these people suffered from at least one chronic disease. 85.5% of them were found to be living independently.ConclusionAccording to our results; there needs to be coordination between the public and various sectors, and healthcare policies need to be implemented in order to minimise or prevent health problems in the area.Key words: Migration, Health, Preventative Medicine