Abstract
Introduction: Anganwadi workers (AWWs) are the community health or social or grass root workers delivering services through Anganwadi centres (AWCs) and house-to-house visits in India. Our aim was to estimate the prevalence of burnout among Anganwadi workers in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu. We also determined the factors associated with burnout among AWWs (disaggregated by personal, work-related, and client-related burnout).
Methods: This was an analytical cross-sectional study conducted among AWWs in the AWCs of Coimbatore district, Tamil Nadu. The outcome was assessed using Copenhagen Burnout Inventory (CBI).
Results: The present study included a total of 1,333 AWWs. More than half the AWWs had moderate to severe levels of burnout (56.0%); majority (78.1%) had personal burnout, 60.8% had work-related and 44.0% had client related burnout. Age (<40 years), non-Hindu religion, presence of additional tasks, perceived burden with additional tasks, lack of timely renumeration for additional tasks, presence of leaves related to stress at work in the past month, feelings towards quitting the job, lack of sound sleep, lack of regular exercise, and presence of active complaints were significant predictors of burnout among AWWs.
Conclusion: Strategies such as workload management, improved renumeration policies, stress reduction initiatives, and fostering a supportive work environment could positively impact the well-being of Anganwadi workers.