scholarly journals Awareness, perceptions and practices regarding menstruation and menstrual hygiene among students of a college in Bengaluru Urban district, South India: a cross sectional study

Author(s):  
S. Deepa ◽  
Twinkle Agrawal ◽  
Teny Attokaran ◽  
Farah Naaz Fathima ◽  
Avita Rose Johnson

Background: Millions of women face significant barriers in menstrual hygiene management due to inadequate awareness, misconceptions and erroneous practices. The objectives of the study were to assess the awareness, perceptions and practices regarding menstruation and their associated factors among youth of a peri-urban college in Bangalore Urban district.Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among both male and female students studying in a degree college. A pre-designed, face-validated structured questionnaire was administered to all students present on the day of the study.Results: Of the 758 students, 372 (49.1%) were male and 386 (50.9%) were female. The mean age was 19.35±1.40 years. A consolidated score above 50% i.e. 07/14 was considered adequate for knowledge. The mean knowledge score was 7.51±2.52. Overall 389 (51.3%) students had adequate knowledge. Awareness levels were significantly better among females (72.3%) than males (29.6%). Among the female students, 384 (99.5%) were aware of sanitary napkins, 165 (42.7%) of menstrual cup, 12 (3.1%) of tampon and 254 (65.8%) of reusable cloth, however majority (96.9%) preferred use of sanitary napkins. Among the female students, 42.6% were expected to follow some social and cultural restrictions during menstruation. Main source of information regarding menstruation and various menstrual products was internet. Misconceptions documented regarding menstruation included the belief that menstrual blood is poisonous (75.2%). Positive attitude towards menstruation was low both among male students (21.5%) and female students (48.4%).Conclusions: Awareness levels were poor among males than females. Practices regarding menstrual hygiene were adequate. However, misconceptions were widely prevalent among both genders indicating the need for health education among college-going childhood.

Author(s):  
Krutarth R. Brahmbhatt ◽  
Amul B. Patel

Background: Antimicrobial-resistant organisms are spreading worldwide, and the pipeline for new antimicrobials remains meager. The next generation of doctors must be better prepared to use antimicrobials more sparingly and appropriately.Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among undergraduate medical students of GMERS Medical College Junagadh from January to May 2017. Self-administered structured close ended questionnaire in English was used. Pearson’s correlation co-efficient, t test and ANOVA were used as tests of significance.Results: Total 130 students participated in the study. Participation of females (48.5%) and males (51.5%) was almost equal. Almost 60% participants had adequate knowledge about antimicrobial resistance. The mean antimicrobial resistance knowledge score of participants was 22.7 (SD: ±5.27, min: 8, max: 37).Conclusions:Important finding of the study was that just one forth of the participants agreed that information they have received so far in medical course regarding antimicrobial resistance is adequate. The budding doctors should receive correct, adequate information regarding antimicrobial resistance.  


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rumpa Sarker ◽  
Md. Saiful Islam ◽  
Mst. Sabrina Moonajilin ◽  
Mahmudur Rahman ◽  
Hailay Abrha Gesesew ◽  
...  

Early diagnosis of breast cancer is the best approach towards its control that may result in alleviating related mortality and morbidity. This study aimed to evaluate knowledge about breast cancer and both practices and perceived barriers to breast self-examination among female university students in Bangladesh. A cross-sectional study was carried out with 400 female students of Jahangirnagar University, Bangladesh. Participants were sampled from female dormitories at the university from January to April 2020. Proportionate stratified random sampling was conducted to calculate the study sample from each dormitory. A pre-tested, semi-structured self-reported questionnaire was employed to collect data from participants during the survey periods. The questionnaire consists of demographic variables, items about knowledge about breast cancer, breast self-examination practices and its barriers. We applied descriptive and inferential statistics, and data were analyzed using SPSS. Participants aged between 18-26 years and comprised university students of 1st year (20%), 2nd year (24%), 3rd year (22%), 4th year (21%) and Masters (14.%). 18% of them had reported positive family history (mother, aunt, sister/cousin, grandmother) of breast cancer. The overall mean score of total knowledge items was 15 (SD = 3) out of 43, with an overall correct rate of 34%. The mean score of total knowledge items was significantly higher (p<0.001) among Masters students and students with family members who have breast cancer. Only one in five students (21%) ever practiced breast self-examination. The mean score of practice towards breast self-examination was significantly higher (p<0.001) among participants who reported having family member of breast cancer. It is noted that the total knowledge score about breast cancer and practice towards breast self-examination are significantly correlated with each other (r = 0.54; p<0.001). About 33% participants had reported that lack of knowledge as the main barrier to practicing breast self-examination followed by I do not have the symptoms (22%), and shyness/ uncomfortable feelings (17%). The study revealed low levels of knowledge about breast cancer and low breast self-examination practices. This implies the need of promotion and implementation of educational interventions programs that are social and culturally appropriate and suitable for specific age groups.


2017 ◽  
Vol 24 (12) ◽  
pp. 1894-1898
Author(s):  
Shahid Ali Mirani ◽  
Syed Yousif Ali Shah ◽  
Muhammad Ameen Sahito

Objectives: This study was carried out to evaluate the dental students’perception about condition of their gums and teeth and prevalence of dental caries. StudyDesign: Descriptive cross sectional study. Setting: Liaquat University of Medical and HealthSciences. Period: July 2011 to December 2011. Material and Method: The sample size was200 students comprising of both male and female. Clinical Oral examination was performedwith the help of mouth mirror and explorer in dental chair. The perception of dental studentsabout condition of their gums and teeth was obtained through questionnaire. Results: Theresults revealed that 25 % of students in present study had dental decay. The mean DMFT scorewas 0.625. Moreover, the mean DMFT score for male and female students was 0.658 and 0.576respectively. The results about distribution of DMFT components indicated that the decayed(D) teeth were in greatest number followed by filled (F) and missed (M) teeth. Conclusion:There was statistically no significant association between dental caries and gender. Moreover,prevalence of dental caries was significantly different between those who perceived their gumsand teeth condition excellent and good compared to the students who perceived their gumsand teeth condition as poor.


2017 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-13
Author(s):  
Osemene Kanayo Patrick ◽  
Afolabi Margaret Olubunmi

Studies on pharmacovigilance (PV) activities in Nigeria focused on perceptions of PV among professional healthcare workers are described here. There is paucity of information on pharmacy students’ knowledge about PV activities. Hence, this study, evaluated the knowledge and perceptions of final year pharmacy students about PV activities using descriptive and inferential statistics. A cross sectional study was undertaken in three Nigerian universities with a pretested questionnaire during the period of January and February, 2016. The questionnaire included closed-ended questions on demographic variables and questions designed to achieve the objectives of the study. Data was analyzed with IBM SPSS Statistics 20 and presented in percentages, means, standard deviations and median at 50% percentile. The mean knowledge score of pharmacovigilance and adverse drug reporting for the final year students was 4.25±0.18. There were significant differences in the mean scores of knowledge domain by age groups 21-24 years 4.8±0.70, 25-30 years 6.2 ± 0.84 and >30 years 4.6±0.72 at p=0.001; gender: male 4.1±1.20 and female 4.4±0.98 at (p=0.0001) as well as the current universities attended as follows University 1 with a scrore of 5.1±1.03, University 2 had a mean score of 6.3±0.99 at p=0.0120 and University 3 with a mean score of 4.3±1.01 at p=0.012. Furthermore, significant difference exist in the mean values of pharmacovigilance knowledge between those who had taking some courses in pharmacovigilance (7.3± 0.22) and those who did not (4.7 ± 0.13) at p=0.0001. Generally, the students had inadequate knowledge of PV activities. Therefore, emphasis on relevant PV courses in their curriculum is necessary.Bangladesh Pharmaceutical Journal 20(1): 1-13, 2017


2021 ◽  
Vol 37 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Fahd Aljarbou ◽  
Sundus Bukhary ◽  
Abdullah Althemery ◽  
Abdullah Alqedairi

Objectives: To investigate the clinical dental students’ knowledge on the proper dental setting during COVID-19. Methods: Using multicenter cross-sectional study, a 10-items questionnaire was distributed in April 2020 among senior dental students from two dental schools. It comprised three main domains: demographic questions, questions investigating student’s access to the proper recommendations of dental settings during COVID-19 and the specific recommendations questions. Results: The questionnaire was sent to 654 clinical dental students and the total number of respondents were 267 representing a response rate of 40.83%. The overall knowledge mean was low (1±0.92). Gender was not a statistically significant factor affecting the knowledge score (P > 0.05). Most of the participants never visited the Saudi Center for Disease Prevention and Control (Saudi CDC) website and received no guidance or advice regarding proper dental practices during COVID-19. A statistically significant relationship was observed between the mean knowledge score and access to knowledge variables (P < 0.05). Conclusion: It was noted that clinical dental students have low knowledge on the proper dental settings during COVID-19 pandemic that was recommended by the Saudi CDC guidelines and they must be equipped with adequate knowledge from reliable sources to overcome their insufficiencies such as a well-structured and dynamic curriculum. doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.37.2.3768 How to cite this:Aljarbou FA, Bukhary SM, Althemery AU, Alqedairi AS. Clinical dental students’ knowledge regarding proper dental settings for treating patient during COVID-19: A cross-sectional study. Pak J Med Sci. 2021;37(2):---------. doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.37.2.3768 This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.


2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (12) ◽  
pp. 151
Author(s):  
Azlini Ismail ◽  
Nur Hanisah Ismail ◽  
Nur Yasrin Maisarah Abu Kassim ◽  
Widya Lestari ◽  
Ahmad Faisal Ismail ◽  
...  

Purpose: Coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) has affected dental education in Malaysia. However, studies on dental students’ knowledge, perception, and behaviors with regards to COVID-19 are very limited. Thus, this study aims to determine the knowledge status, perceived risk, and preventive behaviors of dental students in Malaysia regarding COVID-19. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among students from 13 dental schools across Malaysia using online questionnaires. Results: From 355 respondents, 93.5% obtained a high score of knowledge of COVID-19. Female respondents scored higher than males in perceived risks and preventive behaviors. Chinese respondents scored highest in knowledge, while Malay respondents had the highest perceived risk score. The mean preventive behavior score did not vary across ethnicity. On-campus students scored higher in knowledge and perceived risk whereas off-campus students practiced more preventive behaviors. Clinical students’ knowledge score was higher than preclinical students. Final year students scored higher in knowledge and perceived risk compared to their juniors. Conclusion: The majority of dental students have good knowledge and a high perceived risk of COVID-19, and they practiced most of the preventive behaviors. However, the latest information on this disease should be incorporated into dental schools’ curriculums and updated periodically.


2021 ◽  
Vol 59 (243) ◽  
pp. 1146-1149
Author(s):  
Sajala Kafle ◽  
Nisha Jha ◽  
Ravi Shankar Pathyil

Introduction: Self-medication is common among medical students. Medical and dental students can also educate the population about the use of medicines. The aim of the study was to find the mean knowledge score of self-medication among first and second year medical and dental students at a medical college in Nepal. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out in a medical college from 1st to 28th February 2021 using a structured online questionnaire after obtaining approval from the Institutional Review Committee (approval number 077/78/32). Convenience sampling method was undertaken. The responses were analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences version 26. Results: Out of 173 students the mean±SD knowledge score was 79.47±6.76. The mean knowledge score of the participants of age group 17-18, 19-20 and 21-22 years were 83.8, 79 and 79.1 respectively. The mean knowledge scores of the male and female participants were 80.2 and 78.6 respectively. Similarly, the knowledge scores of respondents from undergraduate medical and dental backgrounds were 80.1 and 77.7 respectively. Conclusions: Knowledge of self-medication was high among the students. However, educational sessions to further improve and strengthen knowledge can be carried out to improve the knowledge.


Author(s):  
Angeline Grace G. ◽  
Gopalakrishnan S. ◽  
Shanthi Edward

Background: Out of ten people who die due to rabies, four of them are children. Awareness regarding the disease is important to bring down the rabies mortality among children. This study was planned to assess the knowledge regarding rabies among high school students in an urban area of Kancheepuram district.Methods: This study was a school based cross sectional study done in chrompet, an urban area in Kancheepuram district. All students studying in IX and X standards in a school chosen by simple random sampling method were included in the study. Sample size of 335 was calculated using the formula 4pq/l2 and adjusting for 10% non-response. Data was collected using a pre-tested, structured questionnaire and analysed using SPSS version 22.0. Knowledge score of >50% was taken as “adequate knowledge”.Results: Out of the total 340 respondents, 189 (55.6%) were girls and 151 (44.4%) were boys. Around 23.5% reported having pets at home. Though 97.6% of children were aware that dog is an important reservoir of rabies, only 46% knew that the disease is caused by a virus. About 25.6% had knowledge about other reservoirs of rabies. About 72% knew about prevention through anti-rabies vaccine but only 31.5% were aware of the vaccine availability in government hospitals. Overall adequate knowledge on rabies was noted in 46.2% of respondents.Conclusions: Children’s understanding on the cause of rabies, prevention and control of rabies was inadequate. Health education activities need to be promoted for the school students to improve their level of awareness on rabies.


2015 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 210-215
Author(s):  
S Sanjel ◽  
S Tuladhar ◽  
K Khanel

Background Blood and certain body fluids pose the greatest threat to health due to sharp injuries spreading blood borne pathogens that cause serious illness when transmitted. Despite the high sickness rate, sanitation staff lacked awareness regarding protections from contacting soiled materials while handling biomedical wastes. Objective The study aims to find out the knowledge and practices on preventive measures of blood borne diseases among non-medical attendants. Method Descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted to find out the knowledge and practices on preventive measures on blood borne diseases among all the 53 non-medical personnel in Dhulikhel Hospital, Kathmandu University Hospital. Respondents scoring ≥50% on knowledge score were taken as having adequate knowledge. A Nepali version of pre-tested structured and semi-structured questionnaire was used to conduct interview. Participation in the study was voluntary and written consent was taken before inquiry. Outcomes were measured in both descriptive and inferential ways. Result The adequate knowledge was found among 86.8% of the respondents on the blood borne diseases whereas 50.9% of them had proper practice on it. Although, there is poor positive correlation between the mean knowledge score and literacy, the correlation was significant (r = 0.341, p < 0.05). Alike, the mean practice score and work experience demonstrated significant correlation (r = 0.319, p <0.05). Conclusion Although knowledge score of male was high, female had higher practices score. Both knowledge and practice score increased due to the participation in the training programs and increment in experience. There was significant positive correlation between the mean knowledge score and literacy, and the mean practice score and work experience. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/kumj.v11i3.12506 Kathmandu Univ Med J 2013; 43(3):210-215


2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 5134-5140
Author(s):  
Saswatika Beura ◽  
Lipilekha Patnaik ◽  
Manisha Sahoo ◽  
Sumitra Pattanaik

Majority women attain menopause without having adequate knowledge and approaches to cope with the menopausal changes. So, they face many physical and psychological disorders during their menopause. Awareness, positive attitude and healthy practice towards menopause can help women to reduce their menopausal symptoms. Women who are had menopause more than 12 months were included in the study. In this study, 80.8% women had poor knowledge and 73.1% women having positive attitude towards menopause. But none of the participants reported healthy practices in their menopause. 44.2% women had knowledge that postmenopausal bleeding was abnormal, 36.5% women said that menopause is associated with many chronic diseases and 32.7% said that menstruation does not stop suddenly at the time of menopause. In our study 90.4% of participants positively accepted their menopause. Knowledge score was significantly associated with age and education. The perceived poor knowledge and practice towards menopause require more efforts for creating mass awareness about this issue.


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