Assessment of knowledge of Anganwadi workers about immunization and health services provided by ICDS in Imphal East, Manipur

Abstract

The ICDS program is designed for the vulnerable section of the society like women and children it is important not only from health point of view but also from the point of socio economic as well as for a better future generation. The Anganwadi workers act as a bridge between the community and the ICDS. Keeping this in view this paper attempts to explore the socio economic characteristics and the knowledge of AWWs regarding the different aspects of health services provided by ICDS. For these purpose 150 respondents from Imphal East, Manipur were selected randomly and interviewed with a structured schedule. The data were analysed using appropriate statistical methods. The finding of the study revealed that almost all of the respondents had medium level of knowledge on the type of immunization to given to children under 6 years and more than half of the respondents had medium level of knowledge regarding the beneficiaries of referral services. Further age and working experience had a negative and significant correlation with the knowledge regarding different aspects of health services provided by ICDS while education had a positive and significant correlation. Thus, the present study strongly felt the need of improving the quality of awareness among Anganwadi workers about different aspects of health services provided by ICDS programs. Hence regular training camps should be organized for AWWs to increase their knowledge.