IJCM_258A: Perceptions regarding mid-day meal programme among parents of government school children in rural field practice area of a government medical college a cross sectional study.

Abstract

Background: Mid - Day Meal Scheme (MDMS) renamed as PM POSHAN in 2021 is aiding 11.80 crore children studying in 11.20 lakhs schools across the country making it the largest school feeding programme in the world. This study was intended to know the opinion of parents of children going to government schools regarding mid - day meal. Objectives: 1. To study the perceptions of parents regarding Mid -Day Meal Scheme. 2. To identify the barriers for non-consumption of Mid - day meals. Methodology: Study Design Cross - sectional study Sampling Systematic Random Sampling Study setting “Rural Field Practice Area of a Government medical college. Study Period November - December 2023 Inclusion criteria Parents and Guardians who gave written informed consent. Exclusion criteria Parents who could not respond due to mental problems. Ethical Prior ethical approval was taken from Institutional Ethics Committee. Data collection and analysis data collection was done using pre-designed semi structured questionnaire and analyzed using Excel and SPSS software. Results: Mean age of the respondents (parent) was 33±7SD. Majority (72.9%) of the respondents were mothers. 59.4% of parents perceived that quality of MDM was good. It was found that overall satisfaction among parents regarding MDM was 65%. More than two thirds (67.5%) of parents felt that MDM has improved their childs school performance. Conclusion: Most of the parents were satisfied about the quality of mid - day meal and few parents agreed that MDM has encouraged parents to send their children to school. Most of the parents agreed that MDM is beneficial and should be continued