A Qualitative Study to Assess the Perceptions of the Nurses and Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHAs) Regarding the Prevention of Female Feticide in a selected District of Haryana

Abstract

Objective: The objective of the study was to assess the perceptions of the nurses and Accredited Social
Health Activists (ASHAs) regarding the prevention of female feticide.
Methods: The study was conducted in Public Health Centres and Community Health centres of
Faridabad district, Haryana. An in-depth interview was conducted by using semi-structured interview
schedule in order to assess the perceptions of the nurses and ASHA workers regarding the different
aspects of female feticide. The recorded data were transformed into verbatim written accounts.
Thematic analysis was done and it followed a five-phase process. In phase I, transcripts were read fully
without coding the data to gain an overall sense of the views of the study participants. In phase two and
three, more detailed transcript review to identify key phrases and words, followed by coding and data
reduction was done. In phase four, another researcher individually coded the transcripts and compared
those findings to reach a consensus about the explanations.
Conclusion: Qualitative analysis of nursing personnel and ASHAs regarding their perception about
female feticide provided deeper insights into the problem of female feticide and its consequences in
the society. And it reveals that they are sensitized about this pressing issue and are ready to become the
channel of communication to the public for the prevention of the female feticide. It is very necessary
that the government and NGOs should systematically organize and orient several programmes to tackle
this critical social issue