Sharma, Ranu2024-08-152024-08-1520012001https://hdl.handle.net/1828/19646The purpose of the study was to explore the attitudes and behaviours of mothers that live in slum communities in Delhi, India. In order to examine the social construction of diarrhoeal disease risk among children under five in a slum community in Delhi, a qualitative case study approach was employed, in the slum Janta Jeevan Camp Tigri located in south New Delhi. The ecosystem approach to human health and social construction of risk were used as the conceptual basis. The presence, meaning and relationships of various themes were discussed and interpreted within the objectives of the study. The urban slum ecosystem of Tigri provides the optimal conditions for infectious diseases, such as diarrhoeal disease, to become a threat. It was found that the mother's understanding of diarrhoeal disease further enhanced the vulnerability to exposure of diarrhoeal disease risk. The residents in Tigri are marginalized from the rest of Delhi, and this results in the lack of ability to mobilize resources to cope with ill health. As a consequence the probability of diarrhoeal disease in Tigri and the severe consequences associated are high. Although diarrhoeal disease is a problem in Tigri, according to the mothers, there are even greater problems essential to survival in their community. Risk depends on what is perceived to be valuable and what is considered senous.167 pagesAvailable to the World Wide WebThesis