Status of Growth Monitoring in Anganwadi Centres of a Primary Health Centre, Thirubhuvanai, Puducherry

Abstract

Purpose: To assess the status of growth monitoring activities and difficulties faced by anganwadi workers (AWWs) at the anganwadi centres (AWCs). Methodology: A survey was conducted among AWWs under a rural Primary Health Centre. Structured observations on weight measurement were made using a check list. Secondary data on record keeping and maintenance was collected. Findings: Study participants (n=20) had a 24 (± 10.25) years of experience in Integrated Child Development Services and underwent training once in two years. For advising mothers of malnourished children, deworming and immunization was not mentioned by majority AWWs. In AWCs, children less than 6 month were weighed on bathroom scale and not by Salter’s scale. Unclothing the child before weighing was practiced by only 10% AWWs. Nonfunctional weighing machine was the major problem reported by AWWs. Conclusion: There were gaps in the growth monitoring activities in AWCs of a PHC, Thirubhuvanai which needs to be tackled.

Keywords

• Growth monitoring; Anganwadi workers; Puducherry.