scholarly journals A study on psychosocial problems among adolescents in urban slums in Kolkata, West Bengal

Author(s):  
Amal Kumar Sinha Roy ◽  
Manabendra Sau ◽  
Kishore P. Madhwani ◽  
Pausali Das ◽  
Jitendra Kumar Singh

Background: Puberty is the unique stage of growth and development associated with the social and psychological changes referred to as adolescence. The adolescent psychosocial development is the process through which the dependent child becomes a self reliant adult. A large number of adolescents suffer from psychosocial problems and many of these problems are of transient in nature and are often not even noticed. The objective of the study was to find out the prevalence of psychosocial problems among adolescents.Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in ward no 58 of Tangra area of Kolkata. The study group comprised of 420 adolescents, selected by multistage stratified random sampling. Data was collected on a pre-designed and pre-tested questionnaire by interviewing the adolescents and was subsequently analyzed by using suitable statistical package.Results: Anxiety was maximum (34.76%) in adolescent boys whereas conduct disorder was found to be maximum (28.57%) in adolescent girls. Majority (35.62%) of late adolescent boys were attributed to substance abuse. Anxiety was found to be the commonest problem among adolescent males in all religions. Educational difficulties were maximum among Muslim adolescents. The problems per subject (with psycho-social problems) were more in adolescent boys (4.4) and girls (3.8) having joint family. None of the class I adolescent girls claimed to have any educational difficulties.Conclusions: A holistic approach to underlying causes of psycho-social problems of adolescents should be undertaken. There is need of strengthening the existing “package” of services for adolescents in various initiatives and programmes. 

Author(s):  
Rama Ravi ◽  
Pankaj B. Shah ◽  
Shanthi Edward ◽  
Palani Gopal ◽  
B.W.C. Sathiyasekaran

Abstract Background Adolescence is a period of physiological, psychological and social transition between childhood and adulthood and is characterized by the onset of menstruation in girls. A adolescent girls are naïve about menstruation and they take time to adapt to these changes both socially and psychologically. This study was carried out to assess the psychosocial impact of menstrual problems among schoolgoing adolescent girls. Methods This study is a cross-sectional study carried out in 350 schoolgoing adolescent girls in the year 2012 in the Thiruvallur district of Tamil Nadu. Girls who attained menarche 1 year prior to the data collection were included in the study. Data regarding background characteristics and psychosocial impact of menstrual problems were collected. Data was analyzed using SPSS ver. 15 software. The χ2-test was carried out to assess the statistical significance at the 95% level of significance. Results The mean age of the participants was 14.7 years. In this study, 87.7% of the girls had at least one menstrual problem. Among these, 78.5% could not attend school during menstruation, 51.1% were unable to perform household/sports activities (p < 0.001). It was observed that dysmenorrhea and menorrhagia were at increased risk of absenting the girls from school (p < 0.05). Conclusion The key to a sound adolescent health programme is a holistic approach which also focuses on the psychological and social domain of health. This could be achieved by involving all the stakeholders like parents, teachers, etc. to work as a team. It is also essential to develop adolescent friendly health services at the grass root level.


Author(s):  
Satendra Kumar Verma ◽  
Rufia Shaistha Khanum ◽  
Sunil D. Kumar ◽  
Narayanmurthy M. R.

Background: Anemia is a serious issue globally affecting all age groups. Anemia can be both acute and chronic. The most common cause is undernutrition which is a common issue in underdeveloped countries. Knowledge about anemia, attitude, and practices are important to decrease the burden of anemia. The community should be educated about the causes and prevention of anemia. Despite various measures like WIFS, POSHAN abhiyan, and National iron plus initiative, etc., there is still a long way to go to improve the nutritional status of adolescents and curb nutrient deficiency disorders.Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in JSS schools and pre-university during February 2021. The sample size was 292, but a total of 300 girls in the late adolescent age group were included in the study. A structured proforma was used to collect data regarding knowledge, attitude, and practices towards anemia. Descriptive statistics such as mean, frequencies, and percentages were calculated.Results: Mean age of the participants was 16.8±1 years. The knowledge about anemia was poor, positive attitudes and good practices were noticed among the participants.Conclusions: Anemia is a huge problem among adolescent girls. The awareness is poor regarding the disease and its effects. The community is ignorant about the detrimental effects of anemia. Hence appropriate health interventions targeting women and children are needed to see any positive changes in their status.


2021 ◽  
pp. 1-3
Author(s):  
Anum Fatima ◽  
Pratap Bhan Kaushik

INTRODUCTION: INDIA HAS LARGEST ADOLESCENT POPULATION IN WORLD. ADOLESCENT IS CHARACTERIZED BY SIGNIFICANT PHYSIOLOGICAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL CHANGES.OBJECTIVE: TO ASSESS KNOWLEDGE AND AWARENESS OF LATE-ADOLESCENT GIRLS REGARDING MENSTRUAL HYGIENE AND REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH INCLUDING CONTRACEPTION.METHODS: A CROSS SECTIONAL STUDY WAS CONDUCTED IN THE MONTH OF OCTOBER 2020 AMONG LATE-ADOLESCENT GIRLS WHO CAME TO OUTDOOR OF AN URBAN HEALTH TRAINING CENTRE, UDAIPUR.160 SUCH GIRLS WHO CAME WITH GUARDIAN AND GAVE CONSENT WERE INCLUDED.A PRETESTED, SEMI-STRUCTURED QUESTIONNAIRE WAS USED.DATA WAS ENTERED IN MS EXCEL2016 AND ANALYSED USING SPSS.RESULTS: AMONG 160 PARTICIPANTS, 43% BELONGED TO AGE GROUP 15-17 YEARS AND 57% TO 18-19 YEARS.5% WERE MARRIED, ALL WERE LITERATE.THE MAIN SOURCE OF INFORMATION FOR KNOWLEGDE ABOUT PUBERTY WERE TEACHERS(46.9%), ALTHOUGH THEY WISHED TO HAD KNOWLEDGE FROM DOCTORS(36.9%).THEY HAD GOOD KNOWLEDGE AND PRACTICES FOR MENSTRUAL HYGIENE.MOST OF THEM WERE FAMILIAR WITH HIV(79.4%) BUT LACKED INDEPTH KNOWLEDGE.MAJORITY DID NOT KNOW ABOUT ANY OTHER SEXUALLY TRANSMITTED DISEASES (67.5%).AMONG CONTRACEPTIVE METHODS, MAJORITY HAD KNOWLEDGE ABOUT CONDOMS (73%), AND LEAST ABOUT EMERGENCY CONTRACEPTIVE(26%).CONCLUSION: PARTICIPANTS HAD GOOD MENSTRUAL HABITS BUT LACK REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH KNOWLEDGE.ATTEMPTS TO INCREASE BASIC KNOWLEDGE ABOUT MENSTRUATION AND REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH THROUGH SCHOOL CURRICULUM OR COMPULSORY WORKSHOPS, COUNSELLING ,COMMUNITY AND PARENTERAL COMMUNICATION IS REQUIRED.


Author(s):  
Neha Goyal

Background: Adolescent girls are vulnerable to different morbidities as their health is a confluence of diverse factors, with the profile of disease burden varying from early adolescent girls of 10-14 years age, to late adolescent girls of 15-19 years age.Methods: This cross-sectional study was done in rural and urban schools of Haldwani block of district Nainital. Multistage random sampling was used to select adolescent girls of 10 to 19 years of age, who were clinically examined and interviewed. Data was analysed using SPSS v21. Statistically significant association was established by Chi-square test.Results: Common morbidities found among adolescent girls were menstrual problems (54.81%), malnutrition including nutritional deficiencies (54.03%), refractive errors (31.17%), hair problems (28.31%) and dental problems (28.18%). General morbidity was present among 51.69% and 61.47% of rural and urban girls respectively. 123 (15.97%) and 97 (12.60%) were found to suffer from skin diseases and respiratory diseases respectively.Conclusions: This study revealed a high prevalence of various morbid conditions among adolescent girls despite of various ongoing measures addressing them.


Author(s):  
Vaishali Verma ◽  
Das Banashree ◽  
Nath Jayathi

Background: Adolescence is the transitional period from puberty to adulthood, causing rapid physical, cognitive, social and emotional changes. Any deviation of normal menstrual pattern is one of the reasons of severe stress and academic losses on many. The aim of the study was to determine prevalence and pattern of menstrual disorders in college going adolescent girls.Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted in a medical college of Gurugram district of Haryana, North India. A semi-structured, pretested questionnaire was used to ask about the characteristics of girl’s menstruation: age of menarche; regularity/irregularity of menstruation, interval and duration; presence of amenorrhoea; amount of blood loss; degree of pain during menstruation; activity during menstruation and BMI.Results: All the girls were in the age group 17 to 19 years i.e.; in the late adolescent period with the mean age of 18.2±0.7 3 years. 81.66% girls attained menarche between 12 to 14 years of age. 3.66% girls attained early menarche and 0.33% girls attained menarche late. 19 had scanty menstrual bleeding and 7 suffered from secondary amenorrhea. 27 girls suffered from heavy menstrual bleeding. 78.3% adolescent girls had various degrees of dysmenorrhea with 8.66% had severe dysmenorrhea. 17.66% girls had high BMI and 11% girls for underweight.Conclusions: There was a high prevalence of menstrual disorders among adolescent girls which affects their social and academic lives. Thus, more attention should be paid to identify and treat these menstrual morbidities.


Author(s):  
Farjana Rahman Bhuiyan ◽  
Joti Lal Barua ◽  
Kazi Abul Kalam

Nutrition knowledge and positive attitude are known to influence dietary practices. Poor dietary practices are major contributors to the development of chronic non-communicable diseases. The aim of this study to explore the basic nutritional knowledge, attitude, and practices (KAP) among adolescent girls in Dhaka City. It was a cross-sectional study using a quantitative approach. A total of 500 adolescent girls (aged 10-19 yrs) from four schools and colleges were included in this study. The early adolescent and late adolescent girls’ age [yrs, (Mean ± SD)] was 12±1 and 17±1 respectively. About 31% of early adolescent girls were underweight according to different BMI categories (adapted from WHO guidelines-2004). The early adolescent girls’ 65% took breakfast before going to school but 43% skip to take lunch in school. And the late adolescent girl shows about 46% took breakfast before going to school but 30% skip to take lunch in school individually. The early adolescent girls’ nutritional knowledge score shows about 61.5% moderate, 86.5% remain positive attitude and 21.2% had good practices. Whereas late-adolescent girls’ nutritional knowledge score shows about 57.1% moderate, 90.1% remain positive attitude and 11.3% had good practices. Among the early adolescent girls shows the significant association of nutritional knowledge with attitude and practices (p=<0.001, p=0.005). Nevertheless, the late adolescent girls show only a significant association of nutritional knowledge with attitude (p=0.002). The results of the study revealed that adolescent girls having good knowledge, remain positive attitudes regarding nutrition, but practices were deficient in some aspects.


Author(s):  
Satendra Kumar Verma ◽  
Sunil Kumar D. ◽  
Rufia Shaistha Khanum ◽  
Narayanmurthy M. R.

Background: Anemia is the commonest micronutrient deficiency across the world. The burden of disease is high in underdeveloped and developing countries. Anemia itself is not a disease but a symptom of underlying deficiency. A large portion of iron deficiency is preventable with appropriate and timely intervention. Adolescence is a crucial phase for growth and development. Increased physiological demands, poor attitude of young children towards nutrition, lack of awareness amongst parents about healthy diet etc., are some of the reasons that makes anemia common among adolescents.Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in JSS schools and pre-university during February 2021. Sample size is 292 and a total of 300 girls in late adolescent age group were included in the study. Haemoglobin estimation was done by finger prick method using a digital haemoglobinometer. A structured proforma was used to collect data regarding socio-demographic characteristics and factors associated with anemia.Results: In our study 49% of the girls were anemic. Mean haemoglobin levels of the girls were 14±4 mg/dl. In this study there was significant association between menarche status (p=0.0041) and history of taking iron supplements (p=0.04). Significant association was noted between the mother’s education and the study participants’ anemia status (p=0.00). Significant association was noticed between BMI category of the study participants and their anemia status (p<2.2e-16).Conclusions: Anemia is huge problem among adolescent girls. The awareness is poor regarding the disease and its effects. The community is ignorant about the detrimental effects of anemia. Hence appropriate health interventions targeting women and children are needed to see any positive changes in their status.


Author(s):  
Shubhanshu Gupta ◽  
Sanjeev Kumar ◽  
Piyush D Swami ◽  
Anjana Niranjan

Background: According to World Health Organization, adolescents constitute about one fifth of the world population, and in India they constitute about 21% of the total population. Most of the surveys show that health status of adolescent girls is at sub-optimal level. Objectives: To assess nutritional status and morbidity pattern among the adolescent girls and to suggest measures for improvement of health status of adolescent girls.  Method: A community based cross-sectional study was carried out among 250 adolescent schoolgirls in Rural and urban field practice area of Jhansi school from January 2017 to July 2014. Results: Among the various morbidities eye problem was seen in maximum no of adolescent girls. Eye problem was present in 44.8% of adolescent girls followed by respiratory 14.7% and ear 13.06% disease. Skin disease was present in 3.2% of adolescent girls, which was more in rural girls 6.7% than in urban girls 1.7%, may be due to better hygienic practice in urban schoolgirls. Conclusions: Rural background, low socioeconomic status, illiteracy, birth rate and order, income and number of members in a family have shown to be significant determinants of morbidity pattern in the adolescent girls. Keywords: Adolescent, anemia, morbidity, vaginal discharge.


Author(s):  
Sambedana Mohanty ◽  
Manasee Panda

AbstractBackgroundAdolescent girls are vulnerable to many problems, undernutrition being the most common. This results in growth restriction resulting in stunting, wasting, underweight and last but not the least iron-deficiency anaemia. Nutritional needs are high during puberty which later leads to complications during pregnancy and its outcomes.Materials and methodsA field based cross-sectional study was carried out to assess the nutritional status of the girls and to determine the various factors responsible for undernutrition. After clearance from the Institution Ethical Committee (IEC) and permission from Child Development Programme Officer (CDPO), the study was conducted in the anganwadi centres (AWC) of urban slums in the field practice area of the Department of Community Medicine from the 1st October 2014 to the 31st October 2016. All the adolescent girls enlisted in the seven anganwadi centres were included as study subjects with their consent. A pre-designed, pre-tested and semi-structured questionnaire was used to collect data on following sections. (a) socio-demographic profile and (b) nutritional status. Dietary intake was taken using the 24-h recall method. Anthropometry was measured and haemoglobin (Hb) was estimated. SPSS version 21 was used for descriptive and analytic statistics.ResultsAmong the 160 girls 98(61.3%), 69(43.1%), 53(33.1%) were underweight, stunted and wasted, respectively. Anaemia was present among 144(90%) of the girls.ConclusionStrict monitoring of weekly iron and folic acid supplementation (WIFS) as well as nutrition education are essential measures to solve the problem of undernutrition among adolescent girls.


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