Health problems of anganwadi workers in an urban area-a pilot study

BACKGROUND Anganwadi Workers have been the frontline workers providing a package of services to the children below 6 years of age, pregnant and lactating mothers as well as females in the reproductive age group, under the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) Programme. Promoting the health and socio-demographic status of this frontline force is critical to improve the delivery of services. Ultimately, this will improve the outcomes of the ICDS scheme. METHODOLOGY The present descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted in an urban area among 31 Anganwadi Workers. The convenience sampling technique was used to conduct the study. Socio-demographic profile and health status of the Anganwadi workers was recorded in pre-designed and pre-tested proforma by interviewing them. The data was then analysed and interpreted using suitable statistical methods. RESULTS 31 Anganwadi workers were included in the study. 28(90.32%) subjects were in the age group of >40-58 years. 29(93.55%) subjects were having health problems at the time of study (p<0.05). Of the 29(93.55%) symptomatic subjects, 22(75.86%) were suffering from non-communicable diseases and 07(24.14%) were suffering from communicable diseases (p<0.05). 11(35.48%) subjects gave history of major illnesses in the past. CONCLUSION Previous studies done on Anganwadi Workers have focused primarily on the efficiency of service delivery. It is now imperative to delve into the socio-demographic and health issues affecting them, in order to identify effective measures for overcoming these challenges and enhancing the overall efficacy of the ICDS program.