Bengaluru, hub of lifestyle diseases: Survey

Bengaluru: Bengaluru City Survey-2, a pilot study conducted by the Centre for Research in Urban Affairs (CRUA), ISEC, has revealed that citizens of the city are falling prey in large numbers to lifestyle diseases. Another interesting finding of the study is that 90.9% respondents preferred English medium education.

This survey is a follow-up of Bengaluru City Survey-1 conducted at ISEC in 1979, titled ‘The Structure of Indian Metropolis: A Study of Bengaluru’ by Dr. V.L.S Prakasa Rao and V.K. Tewari. This study is authored by Dr. Kala S. Sridhar, Manasi S. and K.C Smitha. In the context of the debate about the BBMP restructuring, the pilot study provides insights into numerous factors such as demographic, socio-economic and ecological status, residential housing and living conditions, household expenditure, city dynamics, mobility, migration, home-workplace movement, status of public services and its patterns of growth, perceptions on preference to live in the city.

This pilot study is based on a sample of 200 respondents in one ward (Nagarabhavi No 128) of the metropolitan area. Out of the sample of 200 households, 20 were slum households. The pilot study shows that a majority of the respondents suffered from ailments like heart disease, hypertension (42%) and diabetes (13%) which is an urban phenomenon caused largely due to a sedentary city lifestyle and stress. Common ailments like headaches (15%) may be attributed to high levels of stress and air pollution. Another interesting finding is that a majority (87%) consulted private hospitals and private clinics (7%) to get treatment, despite their high cost. Only five per cent of patients availed of the services of government hospitals.

The educational status of children in the households that were surveyed in this study, indicated that most children, both boys and girls, were enrolled in schools. While a majority studied in English medium schools (90 % and above), a very small percentage of children studied in Kannada medium schools (6.4 %) indicating a strong preference for English medium education.

A majority (57 %) of the students were enrolled in the schools that followed the CBSE (Central Board of Secondary Education) syllabus and a smaller proportion (31%) were enrolled in state syllabus schools, and 12% in ICSE schools.  This clearly shows that there is a higher preference for CBSE schools. Nearly one-fourth of the parents chose schools based on their reputation for good education and discipline.

The study finds that on average, the lowest monthly wage accepted as take-home pay by chief wage earners of the family is Rs.20,500, which is lower than the monthly average income earned by them (which was Rs.28,500).

The study reports that average travel time (one way) to work  is 42 minutes. Other studies have documented that the one-way travel time to work was 25 minutes in 1991, and 40 minutes in 2001. The study also revealed that the one-way travel time to work since 2001 in the city has certainly increased.

The study finds that the one-way travel time to social occasions such as weddings was about an hour (59 minutes) on average. The study also traced the relationship between distance from home and the workplace. The study findings show that for up to about 4 kms of distance to work, the mean income is fairly low; beyond 4 kms up to 40 kms, the monthly mean income keeps increasing, after which it falls off.

Another interesting finding of the study is that the majority of the respondents have given a ‘thumbs up’ to the city. An overwhelming majority (92 %) preferred  to continue to live in the city as the city offers better opportunities for education, employment and health. Overall household living conditions have been satisfactory with good access to basic amenities. Yet the majority of them have expressed unhappiness with the widespread degradation of the city’s environment.

The study has revealed that the residents on the whole were very highly satisfied (Excellent-16 %, Good-45 % and Satisfied-18 %) with the living conditions in the city. But the highest level of dissatisfaction was with restricted pedestrian mobility in the city.

A majority (56 %) of them say that the city offers very restricted pedestrian mobility due to numerous problems like hawkers, illegal encroachments, traffic etc. The second most problematic issue in the city has been safety.  

A majority (46 %) of them perceived that safety in the city is not satisfactory and sometimes bad, due to the fact that women and children commuting at odd hours cannot be protected, and that concerned authorities, being mostly negligent, had failed to take precautionary measures.