All are true of mid-daymeal school programme, except?

SJH Nursing Officer - 2019

Community Health Nursing

Easy

Appeared in: SJH Nursing Officer - 2019

Explanation

The core principle of the Mid-Day Meal scheme is to act as a nutritional supplement to the child's home diet, not to replace it.
Its primary objectives are to combat 'classroom hunger,' improve the nutritional status of children, and thereby enhance school enrollment, attendance, and retention.
By providing a supplementary meal, it ensures children receive additional nutrients without undermining the role of the family's diet.

Option A: This statement is true. The program is mandated to provide at least one-third of the child's daily calorie requirement and half of their daily protein requirement.
Option C: This statement is true. The guidelines encourage the use of locally available foods to make the program cost-effective and ensure the meals are culturally acceptable.
Option D: This statement is true. For wide-scale implementation in schools, the meals must be low-cost and involve simple cooking processes that can be managed with basic infrastructure.

Clinical Relevance

Nursing practice connection: This is primarily an exam-oriented knowledge point with limited direct bedside application, so retain Guidelines and objectives of the Mid-Day Meal Programme (PM-POSHAN) as background academic context rather than a clinical decision trigger.
A school health nurse plays a vital role in monitoring the Mid-Day Meal program's implementation, including food safety, hygiene (handwashing, clean utensils), and ensuring the nutritional quality of the meals served.
The nurse helps in integrating the meal program with other school health initiatives, such as weekly iron and folic acid supplementation (WIFS) and bi-annual deworming, to maximize the impact on children's health and combat anemia.
What if? If a child consistently refuses the mid-day meal, the nurse should investigate the reason. It could be due to taste, cultural preference, or a health issue like loss of appetite. The nurse would then counsel the child and parents and may suggest minor, locally acceptable modifications to the menu if possible.

How to Approach the Question

First, identify that the question uses the word 'except'. This means you are looking for the one false statement among the four options.
Recall the fundamental principles of the Mid-Day Meal Programme (now PM-POSHAN). Think about its purpose: is it to replace home food or add to it?
Evaluate Option A: Is it supposed to provide a certain amount of nutrition? Yes, about 1/3 of calories and 1/2 of protein. This is likely true.
Evaluate Option B: Is it a substitute for home food? No, it's a supplement. This is likely the false statement.
Evaluate Option C: Does it use local foods? Yes, for cost and cultural reasons. This is likely true.
Evaluate Option D: Should it be cheap and easy to make? Yes, for practical implementation. This is likely true.

Concept Tested & Keywords

Concept Tested: Guidelines and objectives of the Mid-Day Meal Programme (PM-POSHAN).
Stem keywords: mid-daymeal, school programme
Lead-in keywords: All are true, except
Negative lead-in flag: The question asks for the exception, meaning three statements are true and one is false.

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E6 Parks TextBook of Preventive & Social Medicine part 2 — Subpart A (pp 1-232 of 464) p. 198-200