Abstract :
Background: ICDS is the largest government run health program for children with its foot spread across complete Indian Territory.
Objective: Study was aimed to obtain information about the knowledge, level of awareness and utilization of the services provided under ICDS among women living in the urban slum.
Methods: Study was a community based cross-sectional study, conducted through a preformed questionnaire and house interview of women of 151 households in a slum.
Results: The awareness level about Anganwadi and various services provided by ICDS through Anganwadi among women was 91.39%. Immunization, Supplementary Nutrition(SN) and Health checkup were the known services in contrast to Referral services, Nutrition and Health Education (NHE), and Preschool Non-formal Education(PNFE) which were lesser known. Utilization of these services was 77.48%. In our study 37.5%, 31.25% and 18.75% pregnant women respectively utilized facility of Take Home Rations THR), health checkup and immunization & 38.46%, 30.77% nursing mothers respectively took regular THR, regular checkup. Among children beneficiaries, the group of 6-36 month consisted of 80 children among whom 41.25% took irregular SN, 70% were completely immunized, 60% had regular health checkups. In the group of 3-6 years out of 67 children, only 22.39% took regular SN, 71.64% were completely immunized, 62.69 had regular health checkups and meager 9% attended PNFE.
Conclusion: Level of awareness was found to be good. Utilization was found to be better among children as compared to women.
Keyword :
ICDS, Utilization of ICDS, Awareness of ICDS, Slum women, Anganwadi