Original Research Article
Year: 2019 | Month: June | Volume: 9 | Issue: 6 | Pages: 223-233
Awareness on ANC and PNC Services among Women of Urban Slum in Delhi
Ritika Bharti1, Sherin Raj T.P.2
1PGDPHM Student 2016-17, The National Institute of Health and Family Welfare, Munirka, New Delhi-67
2Assistant Research Officer, Department of Statistics and Demography, The National Institute of Health and Family Welfare, Munirka, New Delhi-67
Corresponding Author: Sherin Raj T.P
ABSTRACT
Background: Pregnancy and childbirth are accepted as normal events of life in India; therefore, any problems associated with it are also accepted without much havoc. It is estimated that globally, over 95% of maternal and child deaths occur in low and middle-income countries. In India, the maternal mortality ratio (MMR) has been maintained at a higher level since long. It was reported that the MMR among Indian women national average of MMR is 130 per 100,000 live births (SRS 2014-2016) which in itself is very high compared to the international scenario.
Objective: The objective is to assess the awareness towards antenatal and postnatal care services among women (age 15-49 years) residing in the urban slum of Delhi.
Materials and Methods: This descriptive study was conducted in an urban slum of Delhi among women of reproductive age group. A pre-tested, structured interview schedule was used to collect the data. Sample size of 200 reproductive women was selected by using simple random sampling method for this study.
Results: The findings reveals that low level of awareness on ANC, PNC and new born care among illiterate women in Delhi slum. The awareness on PNC and new born care was very low compared to awareness on ANC. More than half (60%) of the women had knowledge about danger signs of pregnancy.
Conclusion: The need for a sustained and focused IEC campaign is suggested to improve the awareness among the community on RCH, will be helpful to improve the community participation and in improving the quality, accessibility, and utilization of maternal health care services provided by the government agencies in urban slums. Emphasis has to be laid on education on postnatal care services and danger signs of new born, so that complications can be detected at early stage to avoid mortality among mothers and children.
Key words: Antenatal care; Postnatal care; Maternal care; New born care; RCH; Accessibility; Utilization; Urban Slum, IEC.