Health and Socio-economic Determinants of Quality of Life among the Selected Fishing Communities

India, as a global leader (second largest) in fish production, significantly contributes to food security and economic growth. However, coastal fishing communities in Ramanathapuram district, Tamil Nadu, face notable health and socio-economic challenges impacting their quality of life. This descriptive study sampled 550 participants aged 18 to 60 years, with 69 percent fishermen and 31 percent fisherwomen, mostly aged 36-55 years. About 55 percent had their primary education and 16 percent were illiterate. Economically, most of them were middle class, with 55 percent in pacca houses. Health problems included diabetes (33%), hypertension (27%) and dengue as the frequently reported communicable and noncommunicable diseases. Co-morbidities affected 24 percent of fishermen and 19 percent of fisherwomen. Quality of life scores showed no significant gender disparity, with fisherwomen generally scoring higher in all domains but older age predicted lower quality of life in physical and psychological domains whereas literacy was linked to better psychological and social well-being. The factors such as presence of disease, co-morbidity, diabetes and hypertension reduced the quality of life and its associated domains. The existing policies mainly focus on the socio-economic improvement for sustainable fishing whereas the cumulative focus on health and the socioeconomic factors is needed in this current scenario. In conclusion, this study identifies age, literacy, socioeconomic status and exposure to extreme weather, presence of a disease and co-morbid condition as the significant determinants of Quality of Life. Thus, a population specific intervention targeting both health and socio-economic status with policy on integrated health care and measures to environmental determinants could enhance their overall quality of life.