MORBIDITY PATTERN AMONG ADOLESCENT SCHOOL GIRLS IN RURAL AND URBAN SCHOOL OF JHANSI (U.P.)- A COMPARATIVE CROSS-SECTIONAL SURVEY

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):  
Shivani Sinha ◽  
Pratibha Gupta ◽  
Beena Sachan ◽  
Sanjay Kumar ◽  
Seema Kumari

Background: The World Health Organization (WHO) has defined adolescence as the age group of 10-19 years. According to World Health Organisation, adolescents constitute about one fifth of the world population, and in India they constitute about 21% of the total population. Adolescent girls are the worst sufferers of various forms of malnutrition because of their increased nutritional needs and low social power. If their nutritional needs are not met, they are likely to give birth to undernourished children, thus transmitting under nutrition to future generation. Objective was to study the various socio-demographic factors affecting the nutritional status in adolescent girls. Methods: A school based cross-sectional study was carried out in Lucknow district. Adolescent girls of age groups 10-19 years were included in the study. Data was collected, compiled and tabulated using Microsoft Excel and analysed using SPSS 17.0 version for calculation of percentages. Results: 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. Conclusions: Among the various morbidities eye problem was seen in maximum no of adolescent girls. Eye problem was present in 31% of adolescent girls followed by respiratory (12.8%) and ear (11.5%) disease. Skin disease was present in 3.1% of adolescent girls, which was more in rural girls than in urban girls, may be due to better hygienic practice in urban school girls. 


Author(s):  
Geeta Singh ◽  
Anish Khanna ◽  
Monika Agarwal ◽  
V. K. Singh ◽  
Rekha Sachan

Background: Menstruation and related problems are difficult issues for adolescent girls and are a common reason for consulting healthcare providers. The objective of the study was to study the age of menarche, menstrual pattern, menstrual related health problems and health seeking behaviour for it.Methods: A cross sectional study was carried out in urban as well as rural schools of Lucknow district from August 2014 to September 2015. Multistage random sampling was used to select the requisite number of girls. A total of 600 girls of age group 10-19 years were interviewed and analysed using appropriate statistical methodsResults: The mean age of menarche of the total population was 13.2±1 years. During menstruation, urban girls had significantly excessive passage of clots (26.5%) and faced more discomfort in their routine activities (78.8%) when compared to their rural counterpart (25.2% and 73.4% respectively), whereas the relation was inverse with regard to school absenteeism that was significantly higher in rural girls (44.0%) than urban girls (32.3%). The usual age of menarche as well as the pattern of pre-menstrual symptoms varied significantly between the girls of rural and urban areas.Conclusions: With few exceptions, menstrual health related problems have an unequal distribution in girls of rural and urban origin. Hence effective management of menstrual problems will lose its chase unless health education targeting all the three groups viz.; adolescent girls, concerned parents and teachers have to be uniformly strengthened.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 48-52
Author(s):  
Priyanka Kumari ◽  
Nisha Kumari Ojha

Globally anemia accounts for a majority of the nutritional problem and it is principally engendered by deficiency of iron. Its prevalence is inordinately higher among developing nations, because of low socioeconomic status and poor access to healthcare services. In developing countries, the adolescent group is more exposed to nutritional challenges and adolescent girls are more vulnerable to the disease. This survey is intended to evaluate the prevalence of anemia and its associated factors among adolescent girls in age group of 12-15 year in Jaipur district, this survey also generated the anemic cases in the adolescent girls of age 12-15 year. A cross sectional study was conducted from August 2019 to January 2020 by attending health check-up camps at various areas situated within 20 kilometers in Jaipur district. Hemoglobin estimation was done by using three-part auto analyzer method. Statistical analysis was done using Percentages and Chi-square Test. 75.39% girls were found anemic. Statistically significant association (p < 0.05) was found in anemia in adolescent girls with the history of receiving iron folic acid (IFA) supplementation, deworming, age, habitat, family type and status of menarche. Present study reveals that 75.39% girls were found anemic and the problem is significantly associated with status of IFA supplementation, deworming and family type.


Author(s):  
Vidya Basavaraju ◽  
Chetan Lakshmikantha Bukanakere ◽  
Madonna J. Dsouza ◽  
Ashok Kumar Shivakumar Mallenahalli

Background: Adolescence in girls signifies the transition from girlhood to womanhood; one fifth of world population is between 10 and 19 years old. Menstruation is a phenomenon unique to the females. Menstruation is a monthly occurrence that requires access to appropriate materials and facilities, without which, females suffer from poor menstrual hygiene which restricts their movement and self-confidence. Increased knowledge about menstruation right from childhood may escalate safe practices and may help in mitigating the suffering of millions of women.Methods: A cross sectional study was conducted among 200 adolescent girls in a rural field practice area of S. S. Institute of Medical Sciences. Data on socio-economic variables and menstrual characteristics were collected using pre-tested questionnaires for a period of two months from September to October 2018.Results: Total of 200 girls was interviewed. 87.6% of the girls were aware about menstruation prior to the attainment of menarche. Mothers were the first informants in about 56.5% girls. Overall 51.5% adolescent girls were using sanitary napkins as menstrual absorbent, while 45.6% were using used cloths. 97.6% girls practiced different restrictions during menstruation. Some of the sociodemographic factors like religion, type of family and mother’s education, SES were significantly associated with menstrual hygienic practices.Conclusions: There is a need to educate the girls about menstruation, its importance and hygiene maintenance; to enable them to lead a healthy reproductive life in future. 


2017 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 224-229 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. Shrestha

Background No information exists regarding the health of the adolescent girls residing in Kathmandu valley in urban setup.Objective To evaluate the prevalence of undernutrition among the adolescent girls living in Kathmandu valley. It also aims to know the distribution of weight, height and body mass index of adolescent girls in relation to the different adolescent age groups.Method A cross sectional study was conducted in one government and two private schools in Kathmandu valley from 16th April to 15th September 2010. Anthropometric measurements were recorded using standardized methodology as recommended by World Health Organization (WHO). Standard operational definitions like percentiles, mean, standard deviation and proportions were used for analysis.Result Four hundred adolescent girls were enrolled randomly, out of which 111 girls (27.8%) were from government school and 289 girls (72.2 %) were from private schools. Maximum were of 16 years of age and the least were of 19 years of age, mean age being 15.4 years of age. Of them, early, mid and late adolescents were 41%, 35% and 24% respectively. Around one third of the study population were stunted (32%), one fourth were underweight (24%) and one tenth of them were thin (9.5%) based on National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS )standard.Both underweight and stunted girls were significantly more during the late adolescence period (P<0.001). However, thinness was not significant in any of the three adolescent age groups.Conclusion A high prevalence of undernutrition in terms of stunting, underweight and thinness exists among the adolescent girls in Kathmandu valley.


Author(s):  
Neha Goyal

Background: Adolescence is a nutritionally vulnerable period for a number of specific reasons, including high requirements for growth, eating patterns and lifestyles, risk-taking behaviour and, susceptibility to social and environmental influences. The objectives of the study were to compare the nutritional status of rural and urban school going adolescent girls by anthropometric measurements.Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out in urban as well as rural schools of Haldwani block of district Nainital from October 2012 to September 2014. Multistage random sampling was used to select the requisite number, 770 (443 rural and 327 urban) of school going adolescent girls of 10 to 19 years of age, who were interviewed and anthropometric measurements were recorded for assessing the nutritional status. WHO 2007 growth standards for 5-19 years old for girls was followed. Height-for-age Z scores and BMI-for-age Z scores were calculated with help of WHO Anthro Plus Software version 1.0.4. Data was analysed using SPSS v.20.Results: Mean weight and mean BMI of adolescent girls in urban area was significantly higher than those in rural area, while mean height in two groups was not significantly different. Mean height-for-age and the mean BMI-for-age of the study girls was below median of the 2007 WHO reference throughout the adolescent period.Conclusions: Thinness was significantly higher in rural girls while overweight and obesity was not significantly different in rural and urban girls. 


2021 ◽  
Vol 15 (6) ◽  
pp. 277-284
Author(s):  
Darshan Devang Divakar ◽  
Shruti Basavaraj Nimbeni ◽  
Abdulaziz A. Al-Kheraif ◽  
Aftab Ahmed Khan ◽  
Sachin Naik ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) is a life-threatening global pandemic. The dental profession is considered a high-risk group in the transmission of the responsible virus. Objective To assess the knowledge and attitude among dental professionals in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods We conducted a cross-sectional study of dental graduates, interns, postgraduates, and dental faculty from May to July 2020. A standardized questionnaire was developed to assess knowledge and attitude of 650 participants. The questionnaire comprised 14 questions to assess general knowledge about COVID-19, 11 questions regarding knowledge about prevention of COVID-19 in dental practice, and 10 questions regarding the attitude toward preventing COVID-19. Results Among the study population, only 376 (57.8%) knew the causative virus for COVID-19. Only 425 (65.3%) knew about rinsing the mouth with an antimicrobial solution or 1% hydrogen peroxide before the dental procedure. Regarding the hand hygiene guidelines, 357 (54.9%) had knowledge of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and 377 (58.0%) about World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines. At the time of our survey, 72% of the participants showed sufficient knowledge, while 28% had low or insufficient knowledge about COVID-19. Conclusion While there was a lack of knowledge among dental professionals in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia about COVID-19, there was an excellent positive attitude toward preventing disease. Greater awareness is needed to control the spread of this disease.


Healthcare ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (12) ◽  
pp. 1627
Author(s):  
Adil Abalkhail ◽  
Ilias Mahmud ◽  
Fahad A. Alhumaydhi ◽  
Thamer Alslamah ◽  
Ameen S. S. Alwashmi ◽  
...  

Hand hygiene is among the most important factors of infection control in healthcare settings. Healthcare workers are the primary source of hospital-acquired infection. We assessed the current state of hand hygiene knowledge, perception, and practice among the healthcare workers in Qassim, Saudi Arabia. In this cross-sectional study, we used the hand hygiene knowledge and perception questionnaire developed by the World Health Organization. Knowledge and perceptions were classified into good (80–100%), moderate (60–79%), and poor (<60% score). The majority of the healthcare workers had moderate knowledge (57.8%) and perception (73.4%) of hand hygiene. Males were less likely to have moderate/good knowledge compared to females (OR: 0.52, p < 0.05). Private healthcare workers were less likely (OR: 0.33, p < 0.01) to have moderate/good perceptions compared to the government healthcare workers. Healthcare workers who received training on hand hygiene were more likely to have good/moderate perception (OR: 3.2, p < 0.05) and to routinely use alcohol-based hand rubs (OR: 3.8, p < 0.05) than the ones without such training. Physicians are more likely (OR: 4.9, p < 0.05) to routinely use alcohol-based hand rubs than technicians. Our research highlighted gaps in hand hygiene knowledge, perception and practice among healthcare workers in Qassim, Saudi Arabia and the importance of training in this regard.


Author(s):  
Ying Liu ◽  
Guohui Wu ◽  
Rongrong Lu ◽  
Rong Ou ◽  
Ling Hu ◽  
...  

While studies on human immunodeficiency virus self-testing (HIVST) continue to accumulate after the World Health Organization’s recommendation of HIVST as an additional approach to HIV testing services in 2016, few studies have focused on men who have sex with men (MSM) in Chinese cities. A cross-sectional study was conducted to describe the HIVST status of MSM in Chongqing, China. MSM participants were recruited by random sampling, and qualified interviewers collected data, using confidential self-administered questionnaires. Blood specimens were collected for HIV antibody detection. The survey evaluated the uptake and accuracy of HIVST kits and identified factors that may be associated with HIVST. The proportion of HIVST uptake was 15.6%. The sensitivity and specificity of HIVST were 74.2% (95% confidence interval [CI] 66.6%–80.7%) and 99.0% (95% CI 96.9%–99.7%), respectively. The consistency between the HIVST kit and antibody detection results was 90.5% (95% CI 87.5%–93.0%), and the Kappa value was 0.777 (p < 0.001). The positive predictive value of self-testing kits is 80.9% and the negative predictive value is 17.7%. Having been tested ≥2 times in the last year, higher educational levels, and higher scores of basic HIV/AIDS knowledge facilitated higher uptake of HIVST. Self-reported existing barriers for HIVST uptake included older age, marital status, and having resided in Chongqing for more than two years.


2021 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Samuel Lwamushi Makali ◽  
Espoir Bwenge Malembaka ◽  
Anne-Sophie Lambert ◽  
Hermès Bimana Karemere ◽  
Christian Molima Eboma ◽  
...  

Abstract Background The eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has experienced decades-long armed conflicts which have had a negative impact on population’s health. Most research in public health explores measures that focus on a specific health problem rather than overall population health status. The aim of this study was to assess the health status of the population and its predictors in conflict settings of South Kivu province, using the World Health Organization Disability Assessment Schedule (WHODAS). Methods Between May and June 2019, we conducted a community-based cross-sectional survey among 1440 adults in six health zones (HZ), classified according to their level of armed conflict intensity and chronicity in four types (accessible and stable, remote and stable, intermediate and unstable). The data were collected by a questionnaire including socio-demographic data and the WHODAS 2.0 tool with 12 items. The main variable of the study was the WHODAS summary score measuring individual’s health status and synthesize in six domains of disability (household, cognitive, mobility, self-care, social and society). Univariate analysis, correlation and comparison tests as well as hierarchical multiple linear regression were performed. Results The median WHODAS score in the accessible and stable (AS), remote and stable (RS), intermediate (I) and unstable (U) HZ was 6.3 (0–28.6); 25 (6.3–41.7); 22.9 (12.5–33.3) and 39.6 (22.9–54.2), respectively. Four of the six WHODAS domain scores (household, cognitive, mobility and society) were the most altered in the UHZs. The RSHZ and IHZ had statistically comparable global WHODAS scores. The stable HZs (accessible and remote) had statistically lower scores than the UHZ on all items. In regression analysis, the factors significantly associated with an overall poor health status (or higher WHODAS score) were advanced age, being woman, being membership of an association; being divorced, separated or widower and living in an unstable HZ. Conclusions Armed conflicts have a significantly negative impact on people’s perceived health, particularly in crisis health zones. In this area, we must accentuate actions aiming to strengthen people’s psychosocial well-being.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document