Effect of Structured Training Programme on Knowledge of Stakeholders Working for Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (Pvtgs) in Twelve Tribal Districts of an Eastern State of India.

Abstract Background: Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs) are the most marginalized tribal communities in the Indian society. The uptake of government led health & nutrition programme by them is low due to the geographical remoteness of their habitat, communication gap between service providers and PVTGs and their cultural believe. The objective of this study is to implement & assess the effectiveness of training programmes for stakeholders working for PVTGs in tribal districts of Odisha, an eastern state of India.Methods: A cross-sectional study was done in 12 tribal districts during April 2019 to January 2020. Six modules were developed for the trainings of different stakeholders like health officials, officials from Women & Child Development departments, NGO personnel, functionaries of Odisha Livelihood Mission (OLM) and Odisha PVTG Empowerment & Livelihood Programme (OPELIP). Three-day residential training programmes covered six thematic areas like child malnutrition, adolescent health, maternal health, communication in service delivery and about different PVTG communities and evaluation was done for 231 participants out of total 242 trained. Pretest and posttest knowledge assessment of the participants were done using a pretested structured questionnaire consisting of 20 items.Results: The mean total score of knowledge was significantly improved after training as compared to before training among all stakeholders (13.79± 3.78 vs 11.5 ± 5.2, p value = 0.001). The pre-test result for the overall knowledge was low among OPELIP staff and health functionaries with mean score of 8.41±3.03&9.16±2.49 respectively. The post-test scores of health functionaries were highest in all domains and the overall increase in knowledge was statistically significant (pre-test 9.16±2.49 vs 15.48± 4.19, p<0.0001).Conclusion: The assessment of pre & post test results revealed a significant improvement in knowledge of stakeholders. Hence, there should be administrative mechanism in government system to impart training to all stakeholders at regular intervals.