Abstract Background Women of reproductive age form a significant population in India, with Jharkhand’s tribal communities facing acute maternal health challenges. Despite progress in reducing maternal mortality, service utilisation remains low, with high rates of anaemia and undernutrition. This study aims to assess the knowledge, attitude, and practices of healthcare schemes among tribal women in the reproductive age group. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted in East Singhbhum, Jharkhand (March-November 2024), using purposive, simple random, and stratified sampling. Two blocks and twelve villages were selected, with participants divided into early adolescents (10–14 years), late adolescents (15–19 years), and women (20–49 years) to avoid overlap. The final sample size was 745. Analysis employed descriptive statistics and chi-square tests. Knowledge, Attitude, and Practices (KAP) scores regarding eight reproductive health schemes were also analysed. Results Most tribal women (ages 20–29) were married housewives with limited education, while adolescent girls were primarily students. Among women (20-29years), 76.6% had partial awareness of health schemes; only 1.7% were fully informed. About 62.3% accessed benefits, and 55% appreciated incentives. Adolescents (10-14years) showed 72.8% partial awareness; the 15–19 group had 93% awareness and 86% utilization. Education and tribal identity significantly influenced KAP outcomes ( p < 0.001), underscoring schooling’s critical role. Conclusion The study reveals notable gaps in knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding healthcare schemes among tribal women and adolescent girls. KAP scores highlighted knowledge deficits, and the majority had a positive attitude. However, the practices related to the utilisation of reproductive health schemes were found to be more inclined towards the schemes with cash incentives. Trial Registration Clinical Trial Registry India (CTRI) CTRI/2024/03/063824 Registered on 08/03/2024.
Raj et al. (Wed,) studied this question.