Awareness, Capacity Building of Anganwadi Workers and Its Effect on Anganwadi Children\'s Oral Hygiene: A Mixed Evaluative Study in Rural Maharashtra, India
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: outreach services in the community as activists for social change who work to improve the conditions of women, girls, and young children.9 With proper training and support, AWWs can be an instrumental source in the promotion of oral health behaviors among children, given their wider reach and influence in rural communities.8 Despite their potential, integrating oral health education into routine activities is limited due to the neglect of oral hygiene practices in early childhood programs.9,10 Studies have shown that lack of resources, nonawareness of AWWs about oral hygiene practices due to limited training, and the IntroductIonPoor oral health considerably affects the quality of life of individuals, particularly children, and is associated with substantial societal costs.1,2 Poor oral hygiene at an early age can lead to various oral and systemic illnesses that may affect not only health but overall growth and development, including poor academic performance and social interactions.2 Despite this recognized importance of maintaining good oral health, children, particularly from developing countries, have a higher prevalence of oral health conditions and thus lag behind international goals.3,4 India has a unique challenge in promoting children's oral health because there are no national programs in place to prevent and control oral illnesses.In particular, those living in rural and remote areas are more affected, where access to dental professionals, resources, and awareness are limited.5,6 In these cases, transferring healthcare activities to less specialized personnel can assist in reducing the demand for human resources during program implementation.7 Anganwadi centers, which are an integral part of the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) scheme, have been instrumental in addressing health and education of children aged 3-6 years and malnutrition among children and pregnant women.8 Anganwadi workers (AWW), who operate these centers, play a crucial role in delivering ICDS services to both children and their families.They facilitate and monitor comprehensive child development, distribute vitamin A, iron, and folic acid supplements, ensure immunization, provide referral in case of medical care needs, and also provide 1,
Authors: Poonam Shingare, Nilesh Rathi, Snehasish Tripathy
Language: English
Subfield: Periodontics
Field: Dentistry
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W4413374580