Integrated child development service in India: evaluation of the delivery of nutrition and health services and the effect on the nutritional status of the children
Tandon, B.N.; Ramachandran, K.; Bhatnagar, S.
Indian Journal of Medical Research 73: 385-394
1981
ISSN/ISBN: 0019-5340 PMID: 7275234 Document Number: 179219
Delivery of nutrition and health services to pregnant women, lactating women and preschool children and their impact on the nutritional state of preschool children has been evaluated in Integrated Child Development Service (ICDS) projects. A stratified random sample of 17 904 preschool children, 1210 pregnant women and 3482 nursing mothers was drawn from 5 rural, 7 tribal and 3 urban projects; 87 to 97% of the selected sample was available for baseline study and 80 to 98% had a follow-up study 20 to 21 months after utilizing the ICDS package of services. Improvement was registered in all 3 categories of beneficiaries in the use of supplementary nutrition, vitamin A, iron and folic acid and immunization with scheduled vaccines and toxoid. Even younger preschool children below 3 years old showed an increase in coverage with all those services. Impact of this was noted as a significant positive change in the nutritional state of preschool children. Baseline study registered severe malnutrition (Grades III and IV) in about 22% of children, which was reduced to 11, 5 and 6% in the rural, tribal and urban projects. Children below 3 years old also showed considerable improvement in nutritional state. The proportion of children with normal and near-normal nutritional state (Grade I) increased on follow-up study from 46 to 58% in rural, 46 to 58% in the tribal and 43 to 73% in the urban project area.