Abstract :
Context: Malnutrition is the biggest health problem of children in developing countries. Approximately
60 million children are underweight in India and child malnutrition is responsible for 22% of the country’s
burden of disease.
Aims: (i) To study the knowledge and attitude of anganwadi workers (AWWs) after IMNCI training regarding
malnutrition. (ii) To assess the skills acquired by AWWs after IMNCI training regarding malnutrition.
Materials and Methods: The present study was a cross-sectional study conducted in five talukas of
Surendranagar district from August 2012 to January 2013. Sample size included all AWWs of five talukas
of Surendranagar district, who had received basic IMNCI training. Out of a total 833 AWWs, 774 were
interviewed.
Statistical Analysis Used: Descriptive statistics and Chi-square test.
Results: The analysis shows that majority of AWWs were educated up to secondary level (49.49%). Nearly
20% of AWWs were educated up to primary level, which could be a barrier to any program implementation.
80.6% of the respondents correctly identified the grade-4 malnutrition from growth chart, while nearly
20% of the respondents were able to identify low-grade, i.e., first to third degree malnutrition.
Conclusions: Educational status plays a great role for the success of any program as it affects the understanding
and grasping level of AWWs about their skillful management of malnutrition. Efficient and keen work in the
field requires not only proper training but also assessment of their skills at all levels. Re-training at timely
interval can play a lead role to improve their skills.
Keyword :
Anganwadi worker, IMNCI, Malnutrition