Utilization and Satisfaction of Services Provided for Children under the Integrated Child Development Services Scheme in a Block of West Bengal, India

Background: The Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) scheme is a community-based program in India for the betterment of health and nutrition of children aged ۰-۶, pregnant and lactating mothers, and women aged ۱۵-۴۴ years. This study aimed to investigate the pattern of the utilization of services and the level of satisfaction of mothers regarding the services provided to their children in a block of West Bengal, India. Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted from August ۲۰۱۶ to November ۲۰۱۸, and simple random sampling was used to select ICDS centres. The centres’ were evaluated for determining the rate of utilization of the services. For evaluating satisfaction, a face and content-validated, pre-tested questionnaire was used. The first part of questionnaire was for collecting the socio-demographic profile of mothers. The second part was concerned about determining satisfaction regarding various services provided by centers to children below ۶ years of age on a ۵-point Likert scale. About ۱۰% of children enrolled in each ICDS centre were selected, and their mothers were surveyed for satisfaction regarding supplementary nutrition services, informal education, immunization, and other health-related services and infrastructures. The data were expressed in number and percentages and the test of association between categorical variables was done using a chi-square test. The GraphPad Prism ۶.۰۱ (GraphPad Software, USA) was used for statistical test. Results: Among the surveyed ۶۲ ICDS centres, service utilization rates were ۹۸.۰۴% for immunization, ۹۰.۵۶% for supplementary nutrition, ۸۲.۵۲% for informal education, ۴۰.۲۷% for health check-ups, and ۱۳.۳۲% for referral services regarding different health problems. A total of ۸۹.۶۳% of the mothers were satisfied with the supplementary nutrition, ۸۳.۴۶% with immunization and health-related services, ۷۷.۴۲% with informal education, and ۵۶.۵% with infrastructures. Conclusion: Using supplementary nutrition and informal education exceeded expectations, but immunization, other health-related services, and referral services need improvement to achieve the program's goal. ICDS center infrastructure needs improvement, and a holistic approach is necessary to meet the satisfaction of mothers regarding different services.

کلیدواژه ها:

Child Development ، Child Health ، Community Health Services ، Immunization ، India