The generally assumed age of wife in eligible couple is-

RUHS, Jaipur, PB B.Sc Nursing Entrance-2022

Community Health Nursing

Easy

Appeared in: RUHS, Jaipur, PB B.Sc Nursing Entrance-2022

Explanation

An 'eligible couple' is a core concept in India's family welfare program, referring to a currently married couple where the wife is in her reproductive years.
For all demographic, statistical, and programmatic purposes, this reproductive age group for women is defined as 15 to 45 years.
This specific age range is used to identify the target population for delivering family planning, contraception, and Maternal and Child Health (MCH) services.
Healthcare workers, particularly ANMs, maintain an 'Eligible Couple Register' to track and provide services to this group.

Option B: This range is too narrow. While 18 is the legal age of marriage for females in India, the demographic definition for reproductive age starts at 15 and extends to 45 to cover the entire potential childbearing period.
Option C: This range is incorrect. 21 is the legal minimum age of marriage for males in India, not females. Furthermore, 50 years is generally considered post-menopausal and is beyond the standard upper limit for reproductive age tracking.
Option D: This age is well past the reproductive years. Menopause typically occurs between 45 and 51 years, so women up to 60 years are not considered part of the reproductive age group for family planning purposes.

Clinical Relevance

Nursing practice connection: This is primarily an exam-oriented knowledge point with limited direct bedside application, so retain Definition of 'Eligible Couple' in Community Health Nursing as background academic context rather than a clinical decision trigger.
Community health nurses and Auxiliary Nurse Midwives (ANMs) are primarily responsible for surveying their area and maintaining an up-to-date 'Eligible Couple Register'.
This register is a fundamental tool for planning and delivering MCH and family planning services, tracking pregnancies, ensuring contraceptive coverage, and providing follow-up care.
Accurate identification of eligible couples ensures that resources are directed effectively to reduce maternal and infant mortality and to achieve population stabilization goals.

How to Approach the Question

First, identify the key term in the question: 'eligible couple'. Recognize this as a specific definition used in Community Health Nursing and India's Family Welfare Programme.
Recall the standard definition. The term focuses on the wife's reproductive age span for the purpose of delivering health services.
Evaluate the given options based on this specific definition.
The age range of 15-45 years is the standard demographic and programmatic definition of the female reproductive period in this context.
Eliminate other options by connecting them to different concepts: 18 years is the legal marriage age for females, 21 for males, and ages 50 and 60 are post-reproductive.

Concept Tested & Keywords

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E6 Parks TextBook of Preventive & Social Medicine part 1 — Subpart C (pp 404-604 of 604) p. 186-188