IndexReview of literatureSection 1 Description of socio-demographic, family and clinical variables of nursing staff and ASHA workersa. Description of the socio-demographic variables of nursing and ASHAsb staff. Description of variables related to the family of nursing and ASHAsc staff. Description of clinical variables of nursing staff and ASHAs Section 2: The level of knowledge of nursing staff and ASHAs in the control and interventional group Section 3: The effectiveness of the structured training program on the knowledge of nursing staff and ASHAs Contemporary Indian society professes a profound faith in every individual's right to life and dignity. The rights of the weakest and most vulnerable sections of Indian society are violated, in particular women and girls in particular1. Every year, millions of women get married and dream of starting a family, of having their homes filled with little cries and the happy laughter of gurgling babies. In India, however, pregnancy is too often followed by the question of whether the unborn child will be a girl or a boy2. There are several tools for measuring gender equality in a population. Sex ratio is a widely used tool for cross-sectional analysis to measure gender balance. The global sex ratio shows different patterns in different countries around the world. The global sex ratio is 984 females for every 1000 males3. Indicating a continuing preference for boys in Indian society, the sex ratio has fallen to 914 females to 1000 males. Despite a series of laws to prevent feticide and programs to encourage families to have daughters, the declining sex ratio has been described as a “grave concern” by India's census commissioner, C. Chandramoli4. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get Original Essay There is an urgent need to undertake a massive nationwide awareness and advocacy campaign with a specific focus on the importance of the girl child to reinforce the idea that she is an asset, not a burden5. Since community health workers offer easy access to health services, especially in rural areas, they play an important role in imparting education to the community6. Nursing has a direct impact on society, especially on mothers' health. Nurses and ASHA workers can serve as disseminators of information on preventing female foeticide. For this reason, nurses themselves should inform themselves about the different aspects of female feticide in order to raise awareness among the population1. Literature Review Over the past 50 years, India has made notable social and economic progress, but despite this unbridled optimism on the economic front, the future for India's unborn girls looks increasingly bleak7. The message of Dr. Manmohan Singh, Honorable Former Prime Minister, in his address at the national conference on “Role of Women in Nation Building” stated that “The unacceptable crime of female foeticide, encouraged by widespread misuse of modern technology and its Senseless commercial exploitation must be stopped.”8 Historically, female infanticide has occurred on a global scale. Various studies report the practice among Arab tribes, among the Yanomani in Brazil and in ancient Rome43. The global sex ratio shows different patterns in different countries around the world. The global sex ratio is 984 females per 1000 males (2011 census). The top 3 states recording the valuehighest in the overall sex ratio are Kerala -1084, Tamil Nadu 995 and Andhrapradesh 992. The lowest sex ratio among the states was recorded in Haryana -877 and Sikkim -8899. The major factors contributing to female feticide apart from infanticide include dowry evil, social security, patriarchal society, development of technology and easy access to this technology, cultural factors, illiteracy, poverty and norm of the small family10. Exorbitant dowry is one of the main reasons for female foeticide. The institution of dowry payment is a social evil, widespread throughout the country11. A study was conducted in Varanasi district of Uttar Pradesh to assess the prevalence of sex determination tests and the impact of the law on prenatal diagnostic techniques. Ten diagnostic centers were randomly selected for the study. It was found that 80% of diagnostic centers carry out sex determination tests. The doctors responded that “it was the pressure of the clients that forced them to perform the SD tests. Money was also an important factor behind SD testing for doctors. The PNDT Act of 1994 remained only on paper. All patients interviewed were university graduates. They all belonged to middle class families and most of them were members of the upper caste Hindu society. The reason given by most patients for undergoing the sex determination test was that they wanted to avoid dowry problems by finding a suitable and good daughter. They also found that the world was not a safe place to live, having a balanced family and therefore giving birth to a male child was essential for "moksha"12. The Government of India has taken action to create awareness through various awareness-raising workshops, seminars, launching the 'save the girl child' campaign and seeking cooperation from NGOs and religious leaders. Greater community awareness on the importance of the girl child and prevention of feticide should be presented as the need of the hour. Until we change the mentality of society, we will not be able to stop this inhuman practice of feticide13. In a recent symposium on female feticide organized by JK Banthia, Chancellor, General and Census Commissioner of India, suggested that two main objectives of India's current population policies are population stabilization and equal sex ratio. According to an official from the Family Department, there are two important strategies to solve the problem of female feticide. One is education and the other is employment 14. A study conducted to assess attitudes on the ethics of abortion, sex selection and selective termination of pregnancy among healthcare professionals, ethicists and clergy who may encounter such situations. 79% of the respondents belonged to the medical profession. Acceptance of abortion by social indication varies by religion and gestational age, but not by religious belief, age, country, or sex of the respondent. Sex selection was considered unethical by most respondents. Selective termination was deemed ethically appropriate in quadruple or multifetal gestations with more than five fetuses and in multiple pregnancies with one abnormal fetus. In the latter situation, acceptance increases with the severity of fetal anomalies and decreases from the first to the third trimester15. A study was conducted to evaluate the perspectives of tomorrow's doctors on this topic. Study participants included 62 interns and 39 MBBS students in their seventh semester who were assigned to the Maulana Department of Community MedicineAzad Medical College, New Delhi. They were asked to complete a pre-designed and pre-tested questionnaire that contained multiple-choice questions relating to their knowledge and attitudes towards female foeticide. Of 100 undergraduate medical students, 57% were male and 43% were female. The mean age of the students was 21.8 ± 0.6 years while the mean age of the interns was 23.2 ± 0.8 years. It is important to note that less than a third of participants supported harsher sanctions for doctors involved in this practice. Significantly more female participants supported strategies related to female empowerment. The results of the study underline the need to raise awareness among tomorrow's doctors of the ethical principles linked to the inappropriate and indiscriminate use of technology. This could be achieved by conducting regular Continuing Medical Education (CME) workshops/sessions and awareness campaigns in the field practice areas of the department. Private practitioners should also be encouraged to participate in such programs. While future doctors could join forces in efforts to improve the status of women in India, it is more urgent that they come together to curb the menace posed by doctors involved in the practice16. A study was conducted in the slums of Chandigarh among married women to find out the level of their awareness regarding sex determination and attitude towards gender. Out of 373 samples, 331 (88.4%) were not aware of the sex determination technique while 44 (11.6%) were. 244 (65.5%) agree that sex determination is a crime. The majority (57.8%) intended to have a boy as their first child and 14.4% wanted their second child to be a boy even with their first child as a boy. Three-quarters of women wanted to have a third son after two daughters and 6% also wanted a son after two sons. The present study has shown a clear picture of the recent scenario of female feticide and a strong desire to have male children among women in urban slums. This calls for the need to educate women from the underprivileged population about gender equality and the recommendations under the PNDT Act in order to improve the declining sex ratio in our country.3. Section 1 Description of socio-demographic, family and clinical variables of nursing staff and ASHA workers. Description of socio-demographic variables of nursing staff and ASHAs In the present study, 59.4% (95) of the participants in the interventional group and 56% (93) were aged above 30 years. In both groups, 99.4% of respondents were women. Regarding education, 47.5% of participants in the intervention group and 42.2% in the control group had passed the SSLC. Similar characteristics of the participants were found in a study conducted in Ludhiana by Vandana Kanwar (2008), where 28.33% of the respondents were aged between 20 and 25 years and 30.0% were aged between between 30 and 35 years.17. In the present study, the majority of participants in the intervention group (82.5%) and control group (84.3%) were ASHA workers. Among the participants, 75.0% in the intervention group and 65.1% in the control group had more than 4 years of experience in their work field. Regarding income, 33.1% in the intervention group and 42.2% in the control group had a similar income. Similar results were found in the study conducted in Delhi and Haryana by AnilKumar (2008), where 41.7% of women received monthly income. income range of Rs 2001- Rs 500018.b. Description of the variables relating to the family of.