Capacity building for female community health workers - an effective tool for tobacco control and empowerment
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Salaam Bombay Foundation, Tobacco Control & Advocacy, India
Publication date: 2018-03-01
Tob. Induc. Dis. 2018;16(Suppl 1):A61
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KEYWORDS
TOPICS
ABSTRACT
Background and challenges to implementation:
Tobacco
is a significant public health concern in rural India. In Maharashtra, India's
second largest state, 31.4% of adults report tobacco use (Global Adult Tobacco
Survey India, 2009). In villages, tobacco use is endemic. Smokeless tobacco use
is engrained in social and cultural norms. At the same time, poor rural health
care infrastructure poses challenge to diagnosis and treatment of tobacco-related
diseases.
Intervention or response:
Under
rural initiative 'Salaam Mumbai Foundation' (SMF) started by Salaam Bombay
Foundation (SBF) in 2007, initial needs assessment was conducted in nine
villages across Chandrapur district in Eastern Maharashtra. This assessment reported 45% of all villagers
using tobacco which also included two years old children. After needs
assessment, SBF initiated capacity building sessions with 60 female community
health workers known as "sakhis" to empower them to become the primary
implementers of tobacco control in villages they serve. Capacity building
activities included sensitization workshops covering tobacco's harmful health
effects, existing tobacco legislation; follow up sessions to assess progress,
and specific guidance to address tobacco control issues in villages.
Results and lessons learnt:
60
trained female community health workers implemented various tobacco control
activities at village level using methods like songs, street plays, puppet
shows, anti-tobacco rallies, and incorporated anti-tobacco messages into their other
health activities. Through these activities they reached to 28,000 residents in
60 villages. An evaluation conducted one year after the program revealed that
awareness on harmful effects of tobacco use increased up to 90% among the
residents of intervention villages and tobacco consumption had reduced.
Conclusions and key recommendations:
Community
health workers are uniquely situated to implement tobacco control programmes
due to their access to community members, their role as trusted sources for
health information, and
their
ability to understand the unique issues faced in their communities. Hence, they
can be trained to implement tobacco control activities in villages and work
with all the stakeholders.
CITATIONS (1):
1.
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