Sidra Sajid

Background: Street children experience substantial barriers to healthcare due to poverty, social exclusion, inadequate education, and unstable living conditions, making them highly vulnerable to poor health outcomes. Objective: The objective of this research was to identify the health seeking behaviour of street children in Rawalpindi, focusing on the socio-economic challenges and informal healthcare practices that influence their access to medical care. Methodology: This study used a phenomenological research design, in which qualitative methods (observations, recorded interviews) were used to examine the living and health conditions of 20 street children aged 10-19 and the data were analysed by means of Thematic Analysis. Results: Findings revealed critical barriers to health care access, including low education levels, financial instability, and poor health care experiences. Additionally, nutritional deprivation and experiences of stigma within formal healthcare settings contribute to adverse health outcomes, with many children resorting to self-medication and informal healthcare Practices. Conclusion: This study emphasizes the need for targeted interventions to include the quality of life of street children in Rawalpindi, addressing both their immediate health needs and broader economic factors that perpetuated their vulnerable status. References Abdullah, M. A., Basharat, Z., Lodhi, O., Wazir, M. H., Khan, H. T., Sattar, N. Y., & Zahid, A. (2014). A qualitative exploration of Pakistan's street children, as a consequence of the poverty-disease cycle. Infect Dis Poverty, 3(1), 11. doi: 10.1186/2049-9957-3-11 Ahsan, S., Orakzai, A. A., Hussain, H., Orakzai, M. A., & Huma, N. (2021). Health Status and Health Seeking Behaviour of Street Children inas Peshawar. Journal of Saidu Medical College, 11(2), 78-83. Alsager, A., Franchett, E., Siyal, S., Bhamani, S., Yousafzai, A. K., & Sudfeld, C. R. (2025). Household Food Insecurity, Growth and Development of Preschool Children: Evidence From Rural Pakistan. Maternal & Child Nutrition, 21(4), e70062. Ashraf, A., Hussain, B., & Ullah, F. (2020). Legal and institutional coverage to street children in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Pakistan Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences Research, 3(2), 101-114. Cumber, S. N., & Tsoka-Gwegweni, J. M. (2015). The Health Profile of Street Children in Africa: A Literature Review. J Public Health Afr, 6(2), 566. doi: 10.4081/jphia.2015.566 Fehmi, A., Shinwari, R. A., & Ali, S. (2024). Assessment of the status of out-of-school street children in Islamabad and Rawalpindi cities, Pakistan. Liberal Arts and Social Sciences International Journal (LASSIJ), 8(1), 48-63. Gautama, M. S. N., & Rias, Y. A. (2026). Synergistic effects of food insecurity and open defecation on wasting among street children in East Java, Indonesia. Discover Public Health, 23(1), 162. doi: 10.1186/s12982-026-01496-y Jörgensen, E., Napier-Raman, S., Macleod, S., & Seth, R. (2024). Access to health and rights of children in street situations and working children: a scoping review. 8(1). doi: 10.1136/bmjpo-2024-002870 Karanja, M. W. (2015). Factors influencing implementation of rehabilitation of street children in Kenya: a case of the action for children in conflict (AFCIC) in Thika sub-county. Macleod, S. L., MacRae, P., & Pimenta, J. (2023). Children in street situations’ access to healthcare: qualitative findings from the Street Child World Cup 2022. BMJ Paediatr Open, 7(1), e002101. Mahmood, T., Khan, A., & Nik Ab Malik, N. M. A. (2025). Bridging the nutrition divide: understanding poverty-linked inequalities in under-five children health in Pakistan. Frontiers in Public Health, Volume 13 - 2025. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2025.1640318 Marasini, P. G., Acharya, L. M., Bhusal, M., & Adhikari, A. (2024). Nutritional Status of the Street Children in Selected Metropolitan Cities of Nepal. PMJN, 101, 47.41. Sohel, M. S., Alam, S., Rahman, M. M., Obaidullah, M., Mohammad Towhidul Anam, A. S., Hossain, B., & Alamgir Hossain, M. (2024). Exploring the multifaceted vulnerabilities of female street child labor in the capital city of Bangladesh. Heliyon, 10(18), e37302. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e37302 Vedadi, S., Iqbal, S. M. J., & Muneer, S. (2013). Street children and its impact on educational attainment in north-western state (Punjab) of Pakistan. Journal of Education and Vocational Research, 4(12), 366-372.

Background: Aging Anxiety, formerly considered as a condition of older adults, is also commonly observed among the younger age groups. Objective: The purpose of this study was to explore the anxiety of aging among Generation Z in Pakistan by combining psychological testing with perceptions of genetic effects on mental health and aging processes. Methods: The survey was a cross-sectional study of 106 respondents of age 17-28 years in the month of June 2025, through a structured questionnaire on Google Forms. The data contained demographics, caregiving status, use of social media and education level. The aging score was covered with the help of the Anxiety about Aging Scale (AAS). In addition, questions involving genetics were posed to establish the awareness of genetic mental health and age-related diseases. The meaning of results was determined by comparing with p-value (p < 0.05). Results: Findings showed that 66 % of respondents thought that genetics has a contribution in mental health and aging anxiety, 62% had family longevity, and 15% had a family history of age-related diseases like Alzheimer or Parkinson disease. Mean AAS score was a little higher in female (66.78) than in males (66.47). In all demographics, the scores exceeded the midpoint (60) of the AAS scale (20-100 score), suggesting a notable trend toward aging anxiety above the scale midpoint. The results revealed no significant differences in anxiety scores across gender, residential background, or caregiving status. Conclusion: This study shows aging anxiety has developed in Generation Z in Pakistan and needs to be addressed in future studies.