Pattern of nutrition and health guidance to adolescents by their teachers and multipurpose health workers in a rural block of district: Jhajjar (Haryana)

Context: Adolescence is a period of transition and is associated with the risk of many nutrition and health-related problems. Teachers and grass root level health service providers i.e., multi-purpose health workers, being the key stakeholders, are expected to provide them nutrition and health guidance. Aims: To assess nutrition and health guidance to adolescents by their school teachers and multipurpose health workers. Settings and Design: It was a cross-sectional study conducted in rural block in the field practice area attached to Department of Community Medicine, Pt BD Sharma PGIMS Rohtak (India). Materials and Methods: All the multipurpose health workers (males and females) [i.e., MPHW (M and F)] who were working in the study area i.e., those posted at the sub-centers, Primary Health Centers, or Community Health Centers for more than 6 months were included in the study. For selecting the teachers, 4 large schools with strength of more than 250 students (2 Girls and 2 Boys Senior Secondary Schools) were randomly selected by simple random sampling. All the teachers who were teaching the standards 9 to 12 in those schools were also enrolled in the study. Thus, the study population comprised of 49 and 94 such workers and teachers, respectively. Data were collected with the help of predesigned, pre-tested, and semi-structured schedules by interviewing the study subjects. Statistical Analysis Used: Proportions, chi square test, Fisher exact test Results and Conclusion: Only 58/94 (61.7%) and 40/94 (42.6%) teachers stated to have provided guidance on substance abuse and HIV/AIDS/STDs/RTIs/Menstrual hygiene, respectively. Surprisingly, 35/49 (71.4%) workers provided guidance on nutrition and anemia to the adolescents, whereas only 10/49 (20.4%) and 11/49 (22.4%) workers provided the guidance on substance abuse and HIV/AIDS/STDs/RTIs/Menstrual hygiene, respectively.