Vol. 8, Issue 11 (2019)

Author(s):
Manisha Choudhary

Abstract:
In India, women are deeply involved in various agricultural activities, including cutting and picking crops, cleaning and drying grains, managing storage and processing, cleaning fields, planting seedlings, weeding, shifting produce to the threshing floor, and grading. These tasks demand significant time and effort, and studies have highlighted that women contribute a major portion of food production through the long hours they dedicate to these operations. Despite their critical role in agriculture, their nutritional and health-related needs often remain neglected, which can adversely impact their overall productivity and well-being. Recognizing this, the present study was designed to evaluate the effectiveness of an awareness program aimed at improving the nutritional and health-related behaviors of tribal and non-tribal women in the Raigarh district of Chhattisgarh. To conduct the study, 75 tribal farm women and 75 non-tribal farm women were purposively selected from specific blocks of the Raigarh district in Chhattisgarh. The participants were between the ages of 18 and 45. A six-week awareness program was designed, and a questionnaire was developed to assess the nutrition and health-related behaviors of the selected farm women. The pre and post intervention paired comparison revealed a significant positive impact of the six-week awareness program on the nutrition and health-related behaviors of both tribal and non-tribal farm women. It was concluded that such a program could effectively enhance the nutrition and health-related behaviors of farm women in this region.