February 2026, Volume 4, Issue 2

Author

Suganthi Selvarajan, Rajeswari VE, Sathish Kumar K and Deepa V

Abstract

Background: Maternal nutrition and antenatal care are critical determinants of maternal and neonatal outcomes. Tamil Nadu implements maternity benefit schemes providing cash assistance and antenatal maternal and child health (MCH) kits; however, evidence on their utilisation remains limited. Methods: A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 180 postnatal mothers who delivered within the preceding six months in a selected block of Tamil Nadu. Participants were selected by simple random sampling from Primary Health Centre records. Data were collected using a pretested interviewer-administered questionnaire assessing socio-demographic characteristics, antenatal care, utilisation of MCH kits and maternal - neonatal outcomes. Results: The mean age of participants was 23.75 ± 4.23 years. Early antenatal registration was reported by 87.8%. Anaemia (28.3%) and previous caesarean section (17.1%) were common high-risk conditions. Among eligible mothers, 48.9% spent 50 - 75% of cash assistance on nutrition. Although 78.0% received nutrition kits, only 30.3% reported complete consumption, while 51.9% consumed them partially. Institutional delivery was universal, 78.1% of newborns had normal birth weight, and 4.8% required resuscitation. Conclusion: Despite good antenatal coverage and scheme reach, utilisation of nutritional components of MCH kits remains suboptimal. Strengthening nutrition counselling and behaviour change communication is essential to improve maternal nutrition and neonatal outcomes.