Medico-social problems of teenage hawkers in Sabon-Gari Local Government Area, Kaduna, North-West Nigeria

Background: Teenage hawking has become a topical issue globally because of the unhealthy circumstances which these teenagers are exposed to, making them prone to various forms of abuse. This is a study of problems of teenage hawking in Sabon-Gari LGA of Kaduna State, Nigeria, to determine the cause, forms and hazards of teenage hawking.Methodology: A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted. Two hundred and seven (207) respondents were interviewed through interviewer-administered questionnaires and data was analysed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) software.Results: More than half of the respondents (59.4%) were females, about one-third (33.8%) were aged 13-14years. The main reasons for hawking were parental wish (57%), desire to make extra pocket money (21.3%) and poverty (8.7%). The hazards to which the teenage hawkers were exposed include injuries (71.5%), fights (21.3%) and sexual harassments (17.4%).Conclusion: Parental wish was the main contributing factor to teenage hawking, followed by the desire to make extra money. Enlightenment and income generating activities for the parents/guardians and the general populace were recommended.Keywords: Female, hawking, money, parental, problems