Impact of the integrated package of nutrition and health services

Preschool children in 0-36 months of age are nutritionally the most vulnerable group. Nutrition and health services delivery through an ICDS programme aims at ameliorating the problems of malnutrition and infection. The extent of utilization of nutrition and health services in relation to nutritional status can provide valuable information on operational efficacy of the programme. In the present study, 610 preschool children (0-36 months) under an urban ICDS block were placed in three categories of service utilization viz. full, partial and none. The impact of the extent of service utilisation on nutritional status and morbidity was assessed over a one year period. The findings showed that complete utilization of all services resulted in significant improvement in nutritional status as assessed through anthropometric indices viz. height/age, weight/age and weight/height as percent NCHS median standard. Data on morbidity in children showed that the number of episodes and the duration of illness(es) were significantly lower when the services were utilized fully than when utilized partially or not utilized at all. Thus major efforts should go into the convergence of services and full utilization by the community.