How ‘Healthy’ are Villages in District Ambala, Haryana: A Pilot Study?

Abstract

ABSTRACT Background A ‘healthy village’ concept as a healthy setting approach is lacking in India, where approximately 70% of population lives in villages. Despite various village development programs, the quality of life in Indian villages continues to be poor. Objective To evaluate some villages in district Ambala as healthy villages. Materials and methods This cross-sectional study of seven villages under a sub center was conducted during January to April 2010. These villages were compared on the basis of scores obtained on a checklist developed for evaluating ‘healthy village’. The village headmen, committee members, various health workers, accredited social health activists and anganwadi workers were also interviewed. Results The sub center headquarter, the largest village, scored maximum among seven villages (90/130; 69.2%). Lowest score was observed in the smallest village (49/130; 37.7%). Most villages faired poorly on intersectoral coordination, youth activities, and historical/cultural heritage. Performance of all villages on ‘availability of basic statistics’ and ‘animal shelter’ was excellent. Conclusion Apparently, population size of a village was linked with its being a healthy village. None of the village had an excellent score. Overall, an average rating can be assigned to these villages as healthy village. How to cite this article Kalyanasundaram M, Singh A, Singh N. How ‘Healthy’ are Villages in District Ambala, Haryana: A Pilot Study? J Postgrad Med Edu Res 2014;48(1):19-23.