Effectiveness of Educational Program on Knowledge and Expressed Practice Regarding Home Based New Born Care among ASHA Workers at District Mandi Himachal Pradesh

Abstract

Home-based newborn care (HBNC) is crucial beyond the first day, extending through the critical first week and month, where neonatal mortality rates remain high. This study aims to assess the effectiveness of an educational program targeting ASHA workers in improving HBNC practices. A true experimental pre-test, post-test, control group design was employed, with 70 ASHA workers selected via Probability Stratified Random sampling from PHCs in district Mandi (H.P). A self-structured tool assessed knowledge and expressed practice regarding HBNC before and after the intervention. Results indicated a significant increase in knowledge among the experimental group (pre-test: M=27.51, SD=2.71; post-test: M=33.77, SD=1.73, p<0.001) compared to the control group (pre-test: M=23.91, SD=3.55; post-test: M=26.17, SD=4.05, p=0.014). Practice levels also improved, albeit not significantly. Fisher exact test revealed significant associations between knowledge and educational status (p=0.014) and family income (p=0.005) in the experimental group. These findings underscore the effectiveness of the educational intervention in enhancing ASHA workers' knowledge of HBNC, thereby potentially reducing neonatal mortality rates.