Health, Hygiene, Nutrition and First Aid
Health, Hygiene, Nutrition and First Aid asks what a warden must know to keep children well and to act correctly in the first minutes of an emergency.
Nutrition basics
- A balanced diet supplies carbohydrates and fats for energy, proteins for growth, and vitamins and minerals for protection.
- Three deficiencies to recognise: iron deficiency anaemia (pallor, fatigue), vitamin A deficiency (night blindness), iodine deficiency (goitre, poor cognition).
- NFHS-5 found about one-third of under-five children stunted or underweight and roughly two-thirds of children aged 6-59 months anaemic, so anaemia screening and iron-folic acid supplementation matter.
- Deworming, safe drinking water and handwashing with soap before meals are routine, not optional.
First aid that saves lives
- Burns: cool with clean running water for about 20 minutes, cover loosely; never apply toothpaste, oil or ice.
- Diarrhoea: low-osmolarity ORS, one packet in one litre of safe water, plus zinc; continue feeding.
- Choking: back blows and abdominal thrusts; if unresponsive, start CPR at 30 compressions to 2 breaths.
- Snake bite: keep the limb still and below heart level, remove rings, transport fast; no incision, no tourniquet, no sucking.
- Fracture: immobilise, do not realign. Nosebleed: lean forward and pinch the soft part.
Worked example
A child passes watery stools five times in a day. Reasoning: the immediate danger is dehydration, so rehydration starts before the cause is investigated. Answer: give ORS after each stool, add zinc, keep feeding, and refer if there is blood, persistent vomiting or lethargy.
Traps
Mixing ORS stronger than directed; stopping fluids during diarrhoea; giving food or water to an unconscious child; delaying referral for a lethargic child.