Rashtriya Kishor Swasthya Karyakram (RKSK) is underpinned by evidence that adolescence is the most important stage of the life cycle for health interventions. And that addressing adolescent health needs would obviate several reproductive, maternal and child health challenges
Objective
Improve nutrition
- Reduce the prevalence of malnutrition among adolescent girls and boys (including overweight/obesity)
- Reduce the prevalence of iron-deficiency anaemia (IDA) among adolescent girls and boys
Enable sexual and reproductive health
- Improve knowledge, attitudes and behaviour, in relation to SRH
- Reduce teenage pregnancies
- Improve birth preparedness, complication readiness and provide early parenting support for adolescent parents
Enhance mental health
- Address mental health concerns of adolescents
Prevent Injuries and Violence
- Promote favourable attitudes for preventing injuries and violence (including Gender Based Violence) among adolescents
Prevent Substance misuse
- Increase adolescents' awareness of the adverse effects and consequences of substance misuse
Address conditions for NCDs
- Promote behaviour change in adolescents to prevent NCDs such as cancer, diabetes, cardio-vascular diseases and strokes
Strategy
Strategies/interventions to achieve objectives can be broadly grouped as
Community based interventions
- Peer Education (PE) Program
- Organizing Quarterly Adolescent Health Day (AHD)
- Weekly Iron and Folic Acid Supplementation Programme (WIFS)
- Menstrual Hygiene Scheme (MHS)
Facility based interventions
- Strengthening of Adolescent Friendly Health Clinics (AFHC)
Convergence
- Within Health & Family Welfare - Family Planning, Maternal Health (including VHND), RBSK, NACP, National Tobacco Control Programme, National Mental Health Programme, NCDs and IEC
- With other departments/schemes - WCD (ICDS, KSY, BSY, SABLA), HRD (AEP, MDM), Youth Affairs and Sports. (Adolescent Empowerment Scheme, National Service Scheme, NYKS, NPYAD)
Social and Behaviour Change Communication with focus on Inter Personal Communication
Program Details
Rashtriya Kishor Swasthya Karyakram (RKSK) is underpinned by evidence that adolescence is the most important stage of the life cycle for health interventions. And that addressing adolescent health needs would obviate several reproductive, maternal and child health challenges. For example, age at marriage, birth preparedness, appropriate spacing, teenage pregnancy and mortality and morbidity associated with it can be addressed only when we start to work with adolescents, both boys and girls, and their caregivers.
Rashtriya Kishor Swasthya Karyakram expands the scope of adolescent health programming in India - from being limited to sexual and reproductive health, it now includes in its ambit nutrition, injuries and violence (including gender based violence), non-communicable diseases, mental health and substance misuse. The strength of the program is its health promotion approach. It is a paradigm shift from the existing clinic-based services to promotion and prevention and reaching adolescents in their own environment, such as in schools and communities. RKSK has devised six themes and strategies to reach out to adolescents in their own spaces, recognising the importance of encouraging positive behaviours and supporting adolescents in making a healthy transition to adulthood. Programme for adolescents is not the sole mandate of any one ministry and programmatic convergence is the key for successful implementation
Key Performance Indicators
- Reduction in malnutrition and IDA among adolescents
- Decline in age specific fertility rate among adolescent girls (15-19 yrs)
- Reduction in proportion of maternal death contributed by 15-19 years age group
- Decline in HIV prevalence among adolescents
- Decline in experience of violence among adolescents
- Decline in prevalence of serious Mental Health Problems among adolescents
- Decline in substance misuse among adolescents
- Decline in incidence of NCDs among adolescents
- Improvement in healthy life styles among adolescents (Diet, exercise etc.)
