DOI: 10.36347/sjahss.2018.v06i03.016

Pages: 592-598

‘Self-care’ is an important form of healing behaviour that involves use of home remedies or consuming medicines without doctors’ consultation [self-medication]. It is widely prevalent among people from both developed as well as developing nations. Such healing technique is mainly employed for arresting milder symptoms. The present cross-sectional study undertaken in an urban non-slum and a slum area administratively under North 24 Parganas of West Bengal, strives to unravel the empirical scenario pertaining to self-care practices among residents of these areas. Several socio-demographic variables like age, sex, level of education and income status has been purposefully selected to discern the influence of these variables on the use of particular form of self- treatment and underlying perceptions guiding the choice of self-care practice in the selected locale. The work is based on quantitative data where information is collected by using structured and semi-structured interview methods along with the use of questionnaires.