Integrated Health Unit of a Community Health Department Creating Awareness on Nutrition, Hypertension, Diabetes and Mental Health in a Slum and Resettlement Colony in Delhi

Background: A slum and Resettlement Colony in a Metro is always vulnerable to diseases, social evils, political instigations and riots etc. The Community Health Department of a Tertiary Care Hospital which is situated in one such area has an Integrated Health Unit with 6 Auxiliary Nurse Midwives (ANMs). The aim of this study is to find out whether there is an increase in the knowledge of area population regarding Nutrition, Hypertension, Diabetes, and Mental Health when Health education was imparted using Health Modules. Methodology: A little more than 5% sample of total area people was selected using purposive sampling technique after meeting the inclusion and exclusion criteria. A pre-test was conducted by ANMs, using a structured questionnaire in Hindi language after obtaining verbal consent. Health education was imparted using Health Modules on these four subjects. One and a half months later post-test was conducted using the same structured questionnaire. Result: Total scores were added for each person for each topic. There were 333 (10.96%) males and 2705 (89.04%) females, making a total of 3038. The mean pre-test scores for Nutrition, Hypertension, Diabetes and Mental Health for respondents were 4.4±1.12, 5.89±1.47, 4.25±1.88 and 8.02±0.99 respectively. The mean post-test scores showed highly statistically significant improvement 1 and ½ months after the Health Education for Nutrition, Hypertension, Diabetes respectively (5.52±1.04; p<0.0001,t=-3.9077), (7.15±1.35; p<0.0001,t=1.256), and (6.26±1.66 p<0.0001). But the mean post-test score for Mental Health (8.05±0.87;p=0.2097,t=0.03809) was not statistically significant. Conclusion:The results of the study demonstrated that the health education through health modules is an effective way of improving the health-knowledge of slum people.