The Perception of Frontline Health Workers on reduction of Anaemia among Adolescents: A Qualitative inquiry in Varanasi

Abstract

Purpose: The high prevalence of anaemia is a severe public health problem in several low- and middle-income countries like India. In adolescents, anaemia has been linked to impaired physical and mental development and increases reproductive morbidities among adolescent girls during their womanhood. To tackle this high prevalence, a number of government programs have been launched in India. However, a slow decline in the prevalence of anaemia has been reported in Indian adolescents over the recent past. Therefore, it is important to unfold the issues in reducing the prevalence of anemia, and the current study was carried out to identify challenges in reducing anaemia among adolescent girls. Methods: 33 frontline health workers were recruited from the selected villages of Kashi Vidyapeeth block, Varanasi, between January 2022 and April 2022. In-depth, face-to-face interviews were carried out in the local language using a series of open-ended questions. All the interviews were recorded and transcribed verbatim. Transcribed data was analysed manually for theme extraction. This study was granted ethical permission by the Institutional Ethics Committee. Results: The following major themes were extracted during the data analysis: (i) poor knowledge about adolescent health-related issues; (ii) non-adherence to program guidelines; (iii) irregularity in the supply chain; (iv) beneficiaries' lack of interest in only education about anaemia in the community; (v) excessive administrative burden; (vi) dissatisfaction in terms of monetary remuneration. Conclusions: The emerging findings shed light on the different challenges in implementing anaemia prevention strategies faced by frontline health workers at the grass-roots level. Therefore, there is a strong need for revamped strategies to facilitate the decline in the prevalence of anaemia among adolescent girls.

Key words: adolescents, anaemia, Frontline workers, Non-adherence, Strategies