Assessing the self-reported health risks of urban street children working in the dominican republic.

Children throughout the world work on street corners selling newspapers, washing car windows, shining shoes, or hustling anything that will earn cash for the day. Many of them start early in the morning, work all day without attending school, and then return home late in the evening. A 26-item questionnaire was given to a sample of forty children working the streets of Santo Domingo. Examination of the responses revealed that the mean age was 14.5 years. Over 92 percent of the children had contact with a relative in the past thirty days. Fifty percent responded that they were victims of physical abuse at home, while 97 percent said they believe they are healthy. Qualitative data on family, friends, and future goals are discussed.