Effectiveness of a multidimensional health awareness programme on NCDs and communicable diseases, vaccination and environmental hazards: a community-based study in the Indian Sundarbans

Sagar Naskar; Amit Das

doi:10.18203/2394-6040.ijcmph20261413

Authors

Sagar Naskar MBA Healthcare Management, Ims Business School, MAKAUT University, West Bengal, India
Amit Das Management Department, Ims Business School, MAKAUT University, West Bengal, India

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.18203/2394-6040.ijcmph20261413

Keywords:

health

Abstract

Background: A health awareness program is an essential tool for determining health outcomes, especially in rural communities like the Sundarban area, where access to healthcare and services is limited. The study aimed to assess the effectiveness of a health awareness program on knowledge regarding communicable and non-communicable diseases, vaccination, and environmental hazards among villagers in the Mathurapur area of Sundarban.

Methods: This study employed a pre-experimental research design, specifically the one-group pre-test and post-test design. Data were collected from 100 randomly selected participants using structured questionnaires and analysed via SPSS (version 27) software.

Results: Results showed a significant improvement in post-test knowledge scores as p<0.001 in the paired t-test. The study reflects that 76% of participants had poor knowledge regarding communicable diseases and NCDs, vaccination, environmental hazards in pre-test whereas changing in knowledge, 83% attained good knowledge in post-test.

Conclusions: The majority of respondents moved from poor knowledge to good knowledge regarding communicable diseases and NCDs, vaccination, environmental hazards in the post-test, from pre-test. The study showed that the elderly group, female participants, higher educational level, higher income level, and employment correlate with higher knowledge, whereas it is necessary to focus more on students, lower income levels, lower literacy individuals, and males to empower them about the importance of health awareness programs.

References

Roy A, De A, Aftabuddin M, Bera AK, Bayen S, Ghosh A, Das BK. Analysis of Health Ailments and Associated Risk Factors in Small-Scale Fisherfolk Community of Indian Sundarbans: A Cross-Sectional Study. Indian J Community Med. 2024 Mar-Apr;49(2):360-366. doi: 10.4103/ijcm.ijcm_906_22. Epub 2024 Mar 7. PMID: 38665455; PMCID: PMC11042129.

Dasgupta, Susmita & Wheeler, David & Sobhan, Istiak & Bandyopadhyay, Sunando & Nishat, Ainun & Paul, Tapas. (2020). Coping with Climate Change in the Sundarbans: Lessons from Multidisciplinary Studies. 10.1596/978-1-4648-1587-4.

German Doctors/Swiss Doctors Project Reports. 2022–present. German Doctor/Swiss Doctors. Rolling clinic and Training of community health volunteers in Sundarbans.

Mukti, Oak Foundation. COVID-19 health awareness programme in Sunderban villages. 2022 Nov 19-20 .

Gupta, Medhavi & Roy, Sujoy & Panda, Ranjan & Konwar, Pompy & Jagnoor, Jagnoor. (2020). Interventions for Child Drowning Reduction in the Indian Sundarbans: Perspectives from the Ground. Children. 7. 291. 10.3390/children7120291.

Ghosh, Upasona & Bose, Shibaji & Brahmachari, Rittika & Mandal, Sabyasachi. (2016). Expressing collective voices on children’s health: photovoice exploration with mothers of young children from the Indian Sundarbans. BMC Health Services Research. 16. 119-130. 10.1186/s12913-016-1866-8.

World Health Organisation. Health Promotion and Disease Prevention through population-based interventions. Geneva: WHO; 2021.

Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India. National Health Policy. New Delhi: Government of India; 2020.

Sahu, Priyanka & F, Inamdar & Sahu, Ajaykumar. (2022). Medical student’s attitude towards serving rural areas: A cross sectional study in Maharashtra, India. Panacea Journal of Medical Sciences. 12. 387-392. 10.18231/j.pjms.2022.073.

Singh, Sunitha & Gururaj, Gopalkrishna. (2014). Health behaviours & problems among young people in India: Cause for concern & call for action. The Indian journal of medical research. 140. 185-208.

Sinha, Raj & Sinha, Keshav. (2019). A STUDY ON IMPACT OF HEALTH AWARENESS IN EDUCATION. 10.13140/RG.2.2.15470.33607.

Panda, Samiran & Sadhu, Chittapriyo & Pramanik, Gopal & Pahari, Sobha & Hossain, Jakir. (2016). Concerning public health situation of under-nutrition in children and anemia in women in Indian Sundarbans delta: a community based cross-sectional investigation. BMC Nutrition. 2. 10.1186/s40795-016-0105-3.

Khanna, Poonam & Kaur, Manmeet & Varma, Neelam & Sharma, Sadhna & Sehgal, Rakesh & Singh, Tarundeep & Srivastava, Rachana & Kushwaha, Savitesh & Jain, Rachita. (2023). Impact of Community Based Nutrition Intervention in the Prevention and Control of Anaemia Among Reproductive Aged Women of India. Maternal and Child Health Journal. 27. 10.1007/s10995-023-03656-x.

United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF). Behaviour change communication in maternal and child health. New York: UNICEF; 2023.