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Informing Resource-Poor Populations and the Delivery of Entitled Health and Social Services in Rural India

A lack of awareness about entitled health and social services may contribute to poor delivery of such services in developing countries, especially among individuals of low socioeconomic status.   This report aimed to determine the impact of informing resource-poor rural populations about entitled services.  It used community-based, cluster randomized controlled trial conducted from May 2004 to May 2005 in 105 randomly selected village clusters in Uttar Pradesh state in India. Households (548 intervention and 497 control) were selected by a systematic sampling design, including both low-caste and mid-to high-caste households.  Four to 6 public meetings were held in each intervention village cluster to disseminate information on entitled health services, entitled education services, and village governance requirements. No intervention took place in control village clusters.

The study concluded that informing resource-poor rural populations in India about entitled services enhanced the delivery of health and social services among both low and mid-to high-caste households. Villagers reported better delivery of various services including pre-natal examinations, tetanus vaccinations, infant vaccinations and reduced excessive school fee charges.  These improvements were seen  across castes.  Interventions that emphasize educating resource-poor populations about entitled services may improve the delivery of such services.

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Uploaded on: Dec 01, 2015
Last Updated: Dec 04, 2015
Year Published: 2007


Resource Tags

Resource Type: Impact Evidence Issues: Community Organizing, Health Tool Type: Reports / Research Languages: English Regions: South Asia Nature of Impact: Change in institutional / government practice, Citizen Action & Participation Institutions Engaged: Service Delivery Agencies Evaluation Method: Observation, Randomized Control Trials