Amina Tareen, Mansoor Ahmed, Ikhlaque Ahmed, Siham Sikander, Khadija Tahir, Assad Hafeez, Ilyas Mirza, Atif Rahman.
Feasibility study of a community-based intervention for mental retardation in rural Pakistan.
Pak Paed J Jan ;32(4):200-7.

After extensive formative research, we developed a parent-based community intervention for individuals with mental retardation, designed to be delivered by Lady Health Workers (LHWs). We conducted a feasibility study of the intervention in one rural area. Our objective was to assess the opinion of the Lady Health Workers and carers of individuals with mental retardation about the intervention. Methods: We designed structured questionnaires to obtain anonymous feedback from carers and LHWs after they had been exposed to the intervention. We surveyed 25 LHWs in 2 Union Councils of Gujar Khan, Rawalpindi, and an equal number of carers randomly selected from the Basic Health Unit case registers. Results: All the LHWs surveyed agreed there was a need for such an intervention, that the carers would find it useful, and that they would be able to integrate it into their day-to-day work. Over 80% of LHWs agreed that the total duration of the intervention (one year) and the length of the intervention (45 minutes) were appropriate. Similarly, over 80% of carers agreed that the intervention would be useful both for them and their child, they would find time to attend the sessions, and their families would support such an interventions. As with LHWs, over 80% of the carers agreed that the total duration of the intervention and length of the session were appropriate, and only 16% felt that the sessions should be fortnightly rather than monthly. Conclusions: The study shows that a parent-based community intervention for children with mental retardation was strongly perceived to be feasible and useful by both carers and health workers in a poor rural area of Pakistan.

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