Mira Aghi, PhD ASHA: an Accreted Social Health Activist } primarily - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

mira aghi phd asha an accreted social health activist
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Mira Aghi, PhD ASHA: an Accreted Social Health Activist } primarily - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Mira Aghi, PhD ASHA: an Accreted Social Health Activist } primarily a woman health worker selected from the village } the first port of call for any health problem } the fountainhead of community participation in public health program in


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Mira Aghi, PhD

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ASHA: an Accreted Social Health Activist

} primarily a woman health worker selected

from the village

} the first port of call for any health problem } the fountainhead of community participation

in public health program in her village

} in touch with the whole community

One ASHA works with 1000 people

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} Literate and trainable } Educates the villagers on health issues, e.g.

a) To stay away from tobacco if they are non-users b) To quit tobacco if they are users

} Not a specialist, has to be trained to deliver

tobacco control education

} Trained for empowerment to deal with

villagers who indulge in a variety of tobacco products

} Information needs assessed to find out the

exact entry point for her training

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Needs assessed by focus groups (5) research and through individual interviews Sample: In each group

} 5 Asha workers

  • one male multi-purpose health worker,
  • one (female) Ancillary Nurse,
  • one midwife (ANM),
  • two women who were visiting the health center

were also interviewed

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The guiding questions include:

} What they think about tobacco (smoke and

smoke free)

} What it does to the human body } Need for quitting the use of tobacco } How to achieve that

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What they knew

} Tobacco is harmful } It causes cancer } Any other diseases? } Chronic cough } Tobacco cannot be harmful

  • It is being promoted everywhere
  • Government wouldn’t allow its sale if it was harmful
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What would they like to learn about tobacco?

} Why is tobacco implicated in so many

diseases among

  • Women
  • Men
  • Children
  • Youth

} How and what to tell elder family members,

including women, who smoke hookah?

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What information would be helpful for them in their work?

} The statistics, both global and Indian } Why global?

  • To impress educated women and men

} The statistics should be expressed in a

manner that they will understand and in a way that is compelling and moving

  • “Half the smokers will die in their productive years”
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What should they do to help young people stay tobacco free

} How to reduce initiation } Impotence: “this affects everyone, but young

boys are especially concerned about it”

} Girls want to

  • be pretty
  • be feminine
  • smell good
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Other information that would help

} Women want to

  • appear young
  • remain vivacious

} Men want to

  • Appear macho
  • walk erect
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What did they know about the anti-tobacco legislation?

} Only the male worker had heard of it

  • He had heard that “one cannot smoke everywhere”
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} A rough draft was prepared

  • Field tested with two groups

} Group one

  • 36 ANMs and 17 Asha workers, all female

} Group two

  • 8 multi-purpose workers (MPW) and 10 basic health

workers (BHW), all male

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} Participants were grateful and excited to see

something done specifically for them, utilizing their input.

} In their words, objective of manual was to

help them to educate people about the risks that tobacco use carries.

} They were happy that booklet

  • does not just tell them about tobacco
  • shows them how they can help people not take up

tobacco

  • shows how to help individuals who use tobacco give

it up

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} Participants happy with the way the facts

were shown

  • facts would help them to inform people in

community

  • numbers would help them to interact with educated

members of community

} Women health workers suggested that they

would also like to know a number on mouth cancer

  • this would be of great value when they talk to

tobacco users

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} Appearing 10 years older vs. dying 10 years

earlier

  • Participants preferred that the order of the two facts

be changed. The mention of number 10 is very impressive

} Information on impotency seen as being very

impressive for youth

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} Appreciated addition of special risks to

women.

  • it is not often that they hear about the problems

that women go through as separate from men

  • knowing this would help them to talk to women

more effectively.

} Asked for further clarity on how to help

people quit

  • benefits of quitting?
  • is there a general feeling of wellbeing once you

have passed the hurdle and have quit?

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} Wanted to ensure that manual emphasizes

that a health worker should never be spotted smoking or chewing and that s/he should not indulge in tobacco use, even in private

  • Health worker has to be tobacco-free.

} Found numbers 50 and 100 very helpful

  • would impress the young and their parents a great

deal

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Body poster

} Comments were quite revealing } Although they did not know about many of

the diseases mentioned in the poster, long list would help them to impress on people that there are so many diseases that tobacco causes.

} Asked why only part of the body was shown

  • wanted to have the whole body shown
  • know how tobacco use can harm legs, feet, etc.
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Body poster (cont.)

} A few participants wanted to use photocopy

  • f the poster to educate people

} Not bothered by it being abstract } Liked that it shows some pictures, e.g.,

mouth cancer, breast cancer, etc.

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