Adolescent Health Schemes
The World Health Organization defines adolescents as those people between 10 and 19 years of age. Adolescence is one of the most rapid and formative phases of human development, and the distinctive physical, cognitive, social, emotional and sexual development that takes place during adolescence demands special attention in national development policies, programs and plans.
In India, data on adolescents from national surveys including National Family Health Survey III (NFHS-3), District Level Household and Facility Survey III, and Sample Registration System call for focused attention with respect to health and social development for this age group. It has therefore been realized that investing in adolescent health will yield demographic and economic dividends for India. In view of this, Government of India launched its first comprehensive program for adolescents, “Rashtriya Kishor Swasthya Karyakram,” during January 2014, which has a sharp focus on adolescents' sexual health. The program envisages that all adolescents in India are able to realize their full potential by making informed and responsible decisions related to their health and well-being.
India has the largest adolescent population in the world. In India, the proportion of adolescents is 24.5% in Uttar Pradesh, 16.3% in Kerala, 19% in Maharashtra, and 21% for India.
Adolescent Health Care Programs in India
There are many healthcare programs under various ministries to address the problems of adolescents, namely, Kishori Shakti Yojana, Balika Samridhi Yojana, Rajiv Gandhi Scheme for Empowerment of Adolescent Girls, “SABLA”, Rashtriya Kishor Swasthya Karyakram, and Adolescent Reproductive Sexual Health Programme (ARSH).
Kishori Shakti Yojana
A special intervention for adolescent girls using the Integrated Child Development Scheme (ICDS) was put into operation from November 1991. It aims to break the cycle of nutritional and gender disadvantage to provide a supportive atmosphere for self-development. All unmarried adolescent girls (11–18 years) whose family's income is below Rs. 6400 per annum in the rural areas are the beneficiaries of the program. Services provided are educational activities through nonformal and functioned literacy pattern, immunization, general health checkup every 6 months, treatment for minor ailments, deworming, prophylaxis measures against anemia, goiter, vitamin deficiencies, etc., referral to public health center (PHC)/district hospital in the case of acute need, and convergence with Reproductive Child Health Scheme.
Balika Samridhi Yojana
It was launched by Government of India in 1997. The objectives are to change negative family and community attitudes toward the girl child at birth and toward her mother, to improve enrollment and retention of girl children in schools, to increase the age of marriage of girls, and to assist the girl to undertake income generation activities, implemented in both rural and urban areas. The target group is girl child of below poverty line families, who is born on or after August 15, 1997. The benefits are restricted to two girl children in a household irrespective of number of children in the household.
Rajeev Gandhi Scheme for Empowerment Of Adolescent Girls (SABLA)
The scheme is implemented using the platform of ICDS through Anganwadi centers.
It focuses on all out-of-school adolescent girls. The objectives are to enable the adolescent girls for self-development and empowerment, to improve their nutrition and health status, promote awareness about health, hygiene, nutrition, reproductive/sexual health, family/child care, upgrade home-based skills, life skills, and tie up with National Skill Development Program (NSDP) for vocational skills, mainstreaming out-of-school adolescent girls into formal/nonformal education and to provide information about existing public services (PHC/community health center/Post Office/Bank/Police Station). Services provided are nutrition provision of 600 calories, 18–20 g of protein and micronutrients per day for 300 days in a year, iron and folic acid supplementation, health checkup and referral services: Kishori Diwas, Nutrition and Health Education (NHE), counseling/guidance on family welfare, ARSH, child care practices and home management, life skill education and accessing public services and vocational training for girls aged 16 and above under NSDP.
Adolescent Reproductive Sexual Health Program
The package of services provided to all adolescent married/unmarried girls and boys under reproductive and child health II are promotive services, preventive services,curative services, referral services, and outreach services. The package of health services through adolescent-friendly health services clinic are monitoring of growth and development, monitoring of behavior problems, offer information and counseling on developmental changes, personal care and ways of seeking help, reproductive health including contraceptives, STI treatment, pregnancy care and postabortion management, voluntary counseling and testing for HIV, management of sexual violence and mental health services including management of substance abuse.
In India, data on adolescents from national surveys including National Family Health Survey III (NFHS-3), District Level Household and Facility Survey III, and Sample Registration System call for focused attention with respect to health and social development for this age group. It has therefore been realized that investing in adolescent health will yield demographic and economic dividends for India. In view of this, Government of India launched its first comprehensive program for adolescents, “Rashtriya Kishor Swasthya Karyakram,” during January 2014, which has a sharp focus on adolescents' sexual health. The program envisages that all adolescents in India are able to realize their full potential by making informed and responsible decisions related to their health and well-being.
India has the largest adolescent population in the world. In India, the proportion of adolescents is 24.5% in Uttar Pradesh, 16.3% in Kerala, 19% in Maharashtra, and 21% for India.
Adolescent Health Care Programs in India
There are many healthcare programs under various ministries to address the problems of adolescents, namely, Kishori Shakti Yojana, Balika Samridhi Yojana, Rajiv Gandhi Scheme for Empowerment of Adolescent Girls, “SABLA”, Rashtriya Kishor Swasthya Karyakram, and Adolescent Reproductive Sexual Health Programme (ARSH).
Kishori Shakti Yojana
A special intervention for adolescent girls using the Integrated Child Development Scheme (ICDS) was put into operation from November 1991. It aims to break the cycle of nutritional and gender disadvantage to provide a supportive atmosphere for self-development. All unmarried adolescent girls (11–18 years) whose family's income is below Rs. 6400 per annum in the rural areas are the beneficiaries of the program. Services provided are educational activities through nonformal and functioned literacy pattern, immunization, general health checkup every 6 months, treatment for minor ailments, deworming, prophylaxis measures against anemia, goiter, vitamin deficiencies, etc., referral to public health center (PHC)/district hospital in the case of acute need, and convergence with Reproductive Child Health Scheme.
Balika Samridhi Yojana
It was launched by Government of India in 1997. The objectives are to change negative family and community attitudes toward the girl child at birth and toward her mother, to improve enrollment and retention of girl children in schools, to increase the age of marriage of girls, and to assist the girl to undertake income generation activities, implemented in both rural and urban areas. The target group is girl child of below poverty line families, who is born on or after August 15, 1997. The benefits are restricted to two girl children in a household irrespective of number of children in the household.
Rajeev Gandhi Scheme for Empowerment Of Adolescent Girls (SABLA)
The scheme is implemented using the platform of ICDS through Anganwadi centers.
It focuses on all out-of-school adolescent girls. The objectives are to enable the adolescent girls for self-development and empowerment, to improve their nutrition and health status, promote awareness about health, hygiene, nutrition, reproductive/sexual health, family/child care, upgrade home-based skills, life skills, and tie up with National Skill Development Program (NSDP) for vocational skills, mainstreaming out-of-school adolescent girls into formal/nonformal education and to provide information about existing public services (PHC/community health center/Post Office/Bank/Police Station). Services provided are nutrition provision of 600 calories, 18–20 g of protein and micronutrients per day for 300 days in a year, iron and folic acid supplementation, health checkup and referral services: Kishori Diwas, Nutrition and Health Education (NHE), counseling/guidance on family welfare, ARSH, child care practices and home management, life skill education and accessing public services and vocational training for girls aged 16 and above under NSDP.
Adolescent Reproductive Sexual Health Program
The package of services provided to all adolescent married/unmarried girls and boys under reproductive and child health II are promotive services, preventive services,curative services, referral services, and outreach services. The package of health services through adolescent-friendly health services clinic are monitoring of growth and development, monitoring of behavior problems, offer information and counseling on developmental changes, personal care and ways of seeking help, reproductive health including contraceptives, STI treatment, pregnancy care and postabortion management, voluntary counseling and testing for HIV, management of sexual violence and mental health services including management of substance abuse.
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