Which beneficiaries are included under ICDS?

Bihar CHO - 2021

Community Health Nursing

Easy

Appeared in: Bihar CHO - 2021

Explanation

The Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) is a flagship program of the Government of India aimed at combating child hunger and malnutrition.
Its primary beneficiaries are children in the age group of 0-6 years, providing them with services like supplementary nutrition, immunization, and pre-school education.
The program also focuses on pregnant women and lactating mothers to address maternal and child health, offering them health check-ups, nutritional support, and education.
Therefore, the option that includes both 'Children under 6 years' and 'Pregnant and lactating women' is the most comprehensive and correct answer.

Option A: This option is correct but incomplete. While children under 6 are a primary focus of ICDS, the program also provides essential services to pregnant and lactating women.
Option B: Similar to the first option, this is a correct but partial answer. The ICDS program's scope is broader, with children under 6 being another major beneficiary group.
Option C: Elderly people are not beneficiaries of the ICDS program. Their health and welfare are addressed by other national schemes, such as the National Programme for the Health Care of Elderly (NPHCE).

Clinical Relevance

Nursing practice connection: This is primarily an exam-oriented knowledge point with limited direct bedside application, so retain Beneficiaries of the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) program as background academic context rather than a clinical decision trigger.
Community health nurses are integral to the success of the ICDS scheme. They collaborate with Anganwadi Workers (AWWs) to conduct health check-ups, administer immunizations, and provide health education to the community.
Nurses utilize data from growth monitoring activities at Anganwadi centers to identify children with malnutrition, enabling early intervention and referral to higher health facilities.
What if? If a 7-year-old malnourished child is identified, they are no longer eligible for ICDS benefits. The nurse's responsibility is to refer the child to the local Primary Health Centre (PHC) for management under other relevant schemes like the Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram (RBSK).

How to Approach the Question

First, identify the core subject of the question, which is the 'Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS)' program.
Recall the primary objectives and target population of this major public health initiative.
Evaluate each option individually. Option A (Children under 6) is a known beneficiary group. Option B (Pregnant and lactating women) is also a key beneficiary group.
Recognize that Option C (Elderly people) is not a target group for a program focused on maternal and child health.
Notice that Option D combines both correct individual options (A and B).
In multiple-choice questions, when two or more individual options are correct, a combined option like 'A and B' is typically the most complete and therefore the best answer.

Concept Tested & Keywords

Concept Tested: Beneficiaries of the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) program.
Stem keywords: beneficiaries, ICDS, Integrated Child Development Services
Lead-in keywords: Which
Negative lead-in flag: false

QucMY71xvuXYDzhJ4PMCnY

E6 Nutrition Monika Sharma 3e p. 314-316

E6 Parks TextBook of Preventive & Social Medicine part 2 — Subpart A (pp 1-232 of 464) p. 94-96

E6 Ghai Essential Pediatrics(pp 26-904 of 913) p. 95-97