Nutrition and health education impact on knowledge awareness and practices of the beneficiaries of Anganwadi centres in UT Chandigarh

Abstract

In the present study, rational choice theory was applied, which was used to examine why respondents enrolled themselves at AWCs as beneficiaries. As per rational choice theory, actors have goal oriented behavior and actors are perceived to have certain preferences also. Findings of the present study revealed that initiative to get register at AWCs among respondents of project-2 was better as compared to other two projects operational in Chandigarh. But the rational explicated behind the initiative taken by most of the respondents in each project was the material benefits and for few was obtaining knowledge. Thus, actors in the AWCand#8223;s context explicated two main preferences for coming in contact with AWCs. The rational choice theory highlighted that those having abundance of resources may achieve goals easily and those with paucity of resources attainment of goals may be either difficult or impossible. In the present study, it was found that majority of the respondents were from low income group. Further, it was also found that those who were having better family monthly income were having better knowledge, awareness and practices. This revealed that scarcity of resources put forth constrictions on actor s intentions and preferences. Rational choice theory also highlighted that social institutions also put restrictions on actor s action. Social institutions considered for the present study were type of family, education, caste and culture. Though the findings revealed that majority of the respondents in each project hails from nuclear family but on association with knowledge, awareness and practices, it was found that respondents belonged to joint family system were having better level of knowledge, awareness and practices. This clearly reveals the implication that there is a strong hold of joint family on people s knowledge, awareness and practices. newline