ABSTRACT
Background: The Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram (RBSK) program is technically known as Child Health Screening and Early Intervention Services. The main purpose of the program is to detect and manage 4Ds which are prevalent in children. Objective: The objective of the study was to assess the knowledge of ASHA workers as well as anganwadi workers about the RBSK in rural area of District Kathua using semi-structured questionnaire. Materials and Methods: The present study was a cross-sectional descriptive study conducted in the zone Budhi which is a field practice area of the Department of Community Medicine, GMC Kathua. The zone consists of 24 villages with 18 ASHA workers and 35 anganwadi workers and one mobile RBSK team available at Community Health Center, Parole. After obtaining ethical clearance, all the ASHA workers and anganwadi workers were included in the study as they were willing to participate. Results: The present study revealed that majority of the workers were between the age group of 20–40 years. About 71.42% of the anganwadi workers were 12th pass and majority of the ASHA workers were 8th and 10th pass. Majority of the anganwadi workers received training related to RBSK program and knew about the benefits of the RBSK program. About 82.85% of the workers knew about the equipment used by RBSK team members for screening. Conclusion: Anganwadi workers and ASHAs need to be made aware of their perceptions and role in the program so that their efficiency is increased and the percentage of child morbidity and mortality can further be lowered.
ABSTRACT
Background: Nutrition of the under-five children is of greatest importance because the foundation of our lifetime health, strength, intelligence, and vitality is laid during this period. Our country faces the burden of diseases in which nutritional deficiencies are the most common. The prevalence of underweight children in India is among the highest in the world. Knowledge of mothers has an important role in the maintenance of nutritional status of the children. For this mother has to be made more aware about feeding practices of children and other health-care practices. Objective: This study was undertaken with an aim to evaluate knowledge, attitude, and practices (KAP) of mothers regarding nutrition of under-five children and prevention of malnutrition. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional community-based study was conducted among 300 mothers with under-five children. A structured questionnaire based on KAP survey guidelines, previous studies, but relevant to local context was developed. The KAP questionnaire comprised three parts which assessed the KAP regarding nutrition of under-five children and prevention of malnutrition. Results: A total of 300 mothers were enrolled in the study. Majority of mothers had fair to good KAP regarding nutrition of under-five children and prevention of malnutrition. Conclusion: Adequate knowledge of mothers regarding dietary patterns of under-five children will enhance the attitude and practice to prevent malnutrition.