An Intervention to Enhance the Knowledge and Awareness of Anganwadi Workers about Kohl Application in Children in Saran District of Bihar

Abstract

newlinePurpose: newlineThe study intended to improve the knowledge and awareness of the practice of kohl newlineapplication in the eyes of children among Anganwadi workers in Bihar state using a newlinevalidated module and its impact on the mothers/primary caregivers of these children. newline newlineMethodology: newlineTraining of Anganwadi workers was conducted using a validated training module, newlinewhich covered different aspects of symptoms and diseases due to kohl application in newlinethe eyes of children. It followed the structure of the standard ICDS training module. newlineAmong the 379 actively working Anganwadi workers in the study location block, 274 newlineattended the training program. A validated questionnaire was administered before and newlineafter the training to assess the knowledge and awareness on kohl application in newlinechildren using pre-test post-test design. The questionnaire used was validated by newlinefocused group discussion. A questionnaire was also prepared and validated for newlinemothers/primary caregivers of the different blocks of Saran District of Bihar and the newlineimpact of the training program was checked using pre-test and post-test assessment of newlineknowledge and awareness. newline newlineFindings: newlineA pre-test was done to check the awareness and knowledge of mothers/primary newlinecaregivers of the 2 blocks of the Saran district of Bihar using the validated newlinequestionnaire. It was found that kohl application was a prevalent practice in the eyes newlineof children of this area in Bihar. The pre-test and post-test analysis of the newlinequestionnaire were done for the 274 Anganwadi workers after the intervention was newlinegiven in the form of a validated training module.