Tribal Child Nutrition and Health in District of Sundargarh: A Public Health Review of ICDS Intervention

The district of Sundargarh, Odisha, predominantly occupied by Orang tribal communities, even before independence, Sundargarh has presented a complex Landscape of Public health Challenges, particularly concerning scheduled tribes’ children’s nutrition and their health. “The region’s tribal population is often marked by socioeconomic vulnerabilities, poor access to healthcare, and traditional lifestyles that contribute to high levels of child malnutrition, morbidity, and mortality”. In response to these pressing issues, the Government of India launched the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) was launched on 2nd October 1975 by the Ministry of Women and Child Development as a flagship welfare programme aimed at improving the scheduled tribe tribal health, malnutrition, and early education of children aged 0-6 years, with special focus on marginalized groups of Bisra Block of Sundargarh district, Odisha, The studies of public health reviewed and explored the effectiveness of ICDS interventions in addressing nutritional and health concerns of tribal children in Sundargarh. It examines the outreach and impact of services provided through Anganwadi Centres (AWCs), such as supplementary nutrition, immunization, health check-ups, and referral services. Despite several policy initiatives and resource investments, gaps persist in implementation and access. Through this study seeks to understand and highlights the gaps while assessing important program's and to contributing for enhancing the child wellbeing in tribal setting-up for the feature national health indicator of the Sundargarh district, and to recommend measures for improving the health and nutrition outcomes among tribal children in the district of Sundargarh.

Public health, ICDS, health index, child nutrition, Malnutrition

1. Behera, P. K., & Behera, S. (2024). Exploring the Nexus between Diversified Agriculture and Nutritional Health with Special Reference to Odisha. Odisha Economic Journal, 56(1), 130150. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

2. Devi, W. L. (2021). Supplementary nutrition: Issues and challenges of ICDS in Manipur. South Asian Journal of Marketing & Management Research, 11(11), 207218. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

3. Feruglio, F., & Nisbett, N. (2018). The challenges of institutionalizing community level social accountability mechanisms for health and nutrition: a qualitative study in Odisha, India. BMC Health Services Research, 18(1), 788. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

4. IIPS (2021). National Family Health Survey (NFHS-5), 2019–21: India Fact Sheet. International Institute for Population Sciences, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

5. Jaguri, S., Verma, N., Srivastava, A. K., & Mamgain, H. (2025). Assessment of Cognitive, Attitudinal and Behavioural Competence of Anganwadi Workers Regarding Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) Services in District Dehradun, Uttarakhand. Indian Journal of Public Health Research & Development, 16(2). [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

6. Jena, P. (2013). Knowledge of Anganwadi worker about integrated child development services (ICDS): A study of urban blocks in Sundargarh District of Odisha (Doctoral dissertation). [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

7. Mall, A. (2020). Indigenous knowledge on selection, sustainable utilization of local flora and fauna for food by tribes (PTG) of Odisha: A potential resource for food and environmental security. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

8. Meher, R. (2007). Livelihood, poverty and morbidity: a study on health and socioeconomic status of the tribal population in Orissa. Journal of Health Management, 9(3), 343367. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

9. Menon, P., Kohli, N., van den Bold, M., Becker, E., Nisbett, N., Haddad, L. J., & Avula, R. (2016). 25 years of scaling up: Nutrition and health interventions in Odisha, India. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

10. Ministry of Women and Child Development (MWCD), Government of India. (2023). Annual Report on Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS). National Family Health Survey (NFHS5), India Fact Sheet, 2021. Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW), Child Health Division [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

11. Ministry of Women and Child Development (MoWCD) (2020). Annual Report 2019–20. Government of India. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

12. Ministry of Women and Child Development (MWCD), Government of India. (2023). Annual Report on Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS). National Family Health Survey (NFHS5), India Fact Sheet, 2021. Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW), Immunization Dashboard [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

13. Ministry of Women and Child Development (MWCD), Government of India. (2023). Annual Report on Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS). Retrieved from https://wcd.nic.in [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

14. National Family Health Survey (NFHS5), India Fact Sheet, 2021. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

15. Pant, A., Lohumi, M. J., & Joshi, P. (2023). Sustanable Development: Health &. Digital Business Operations & Sustainability, 42. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

16. Patel, K., Nagar, K., & Jain, V. (2023). Mixed method study on knowledge and factors influencing the performance of Anganwadi Workers (Awws) Kheda District, Gujarat. J Adv Zool, 44, 827838. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

17. Saranya, R. (2018). Evaluation of Integrated Child Development Services in a Select ICDS Project of Shivamogga District’ (Doctoral dissertation, Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences (India)). [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

18. Sarkar, R. (2018). A study to assess the knowledge about integrated child development services of Anganwadi workers and their problems. Int J Soc Sci Econ Res, 3(12), 70007013. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

19. Sethi, V., Bhattacharjee, S., Sinha, S., Daniel, A., Lumba, A., Sharma, D., & Bhanot, A. (2019). Delivering Essential Nutrition. Economic & Political Weekly, 54(4), 43. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

20. Sharma, A., & Sharma, K. Knowledge of Anganwadi Workers Regarding Childhood Immunization. RJPSSs 2017, 43(1), 104114. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

21. Sinha, D. (2022). Hunger and Malnutrition amongst Adivasis. In Tribal Development Report (pp. 158192). Routledge India. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

22. Sudarshan, H., & Seshadri, T. (2022). Health of Tribal People in Central India. In Tribal Development Report (pp. 85157). Routledge India. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

23. Vadlakonda, D., Bheenaveni, R. S., & Katherasala, S. Empowering Tribal Communities: Enhancing ICDS Program Delivery Through Infrastructure Optimization in Telangana. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

24. https://sundergarh.nic.in [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

• Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices Towards Prostate Cancer Screening Amongst Men Aged 40-60 Years in The Buea Health District: A Cross-Sectional Study
• Compliance with JCI Protocols: A Focus on Employee Safety
• Influence and Involvement of Teachers in Menstrual Hygiene Management of Female Secondary School Students in Kogi State, Nigeria
• A Critical Evaluation of Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana in Bihar
• Knowledge, Attitude, And Practices on Antenatal Care Among Pregnant Women in Selected Health Birthing Centers in Butuan City