A case study on the assessment of perception towards body image and nutritional status among girl students studying in a district college in West Bengal

Students, mainly girl students, are the future of our society. Hence, it's most important to look into the critical aspects like health, education, self-respect, and earning opportunity. Women and children are the vulnerable sections worldwide. Data shows that young adolescent girls, including college students, usually suffer from anemia, hair and skin issues, obesity or underweight issues, and more. Additionally, urban girls are also psychologically affected due to their perception of body image and overall improper nutritional status. Our study is a survey-oriented study where a simple random sampling method has been used. The survey was conducted in a district girls' college in West Bengal for two days in October 2018. Two dietitians, two nutrition subject experts, and one homeopathic doctor were present with the pre-tested semi-structured questionnaires format duly filled by each respondent. 110 interested girl students studying graduation participated in the primary health cum nutrition screening. BMI calculation through height and weight measurements, screening of nails, hair, skin, tongue, dietary habits, and basic nutrition knowledge assessments were made on the spot. Altogether, data was collected through the dichotomous questionnaires based on nutrition, personal health, and hygiene, followed by subjective opinions and perceptions of the participants' body image. SPSS version-16 was applied for statistical analysis. Twelve attributes were used in the dichotomous questionnaires that found 67% were overweight cum obese. The study revealed 12% anemic, 13% excess hair loss, 62% skin conditioning issues, 65.4% acne or pimples,65% menstruation issues, and 4.5% depression. The study analyzed all the personal attributes to assess their image perception and nutritional status as well. Image complexion is not always essential, but some participants expressed their feeling about their improper appearance. Above all, everyone accepted that proper nutrition is always a significant factor for good health.

STUDY OF PHYSICAL FITNESS OF RURAL AND URBAN HIGH SCHOOLS OF KASHMIR DIVISION

The Word Physical fitness refers to the body as a contrasted to mind physical education should aim to improve the mass of students and give them as much health struggle and stamina as possible to unable physical education is the process by which changes on the individual or brought about through his movement experience physical education is the some of the changes in the individual caused by experience centered in motor ability. The purpose of the study is found out the A Comparative Study on Physical Fitness of Rural and Urban High School Girls. This study will help coaches and physical education teachers in selecting the good players. This will help physical education teachers and coaches in preparing training program. This will lead to success in future planning. This will reveal which of the two groups possess better physical education. The result of the study will help to students to participate in sports and game. The result of the study will give the clear idea about physical fitness of the rural and urban Girls.

Knowledge and Practices About Sexual Health and Its Socioeconomic Correlates Among Adolescent Girls in Sikkim, India

Adolescents constitute a quarter of total Indian population. Many of them become sexually active despite being informed of the risks which they may encounter. The present study aims to address knowledge and perception on HIV/AIDS, STIs, and safe sex among adolescent girls (15 to 19years) in Sikkim, India. The study also evaluates their attitudes, and practices of sexual activities among their peer groups. The study is based on randomly selected 1031 unmarried adolescent girls residing in Gangtok, the capital town of Sikkim, and also in different blocks of the other three districts. The self-administered questionnaire was completed by participant girls to obtain data on socioeconomic characteristics, knowledge, awareness, and practices about sexual health issues such as HIV/AIDS, STIs, safe sex. Bivariate and multivariate analyses have been used for data analysis. Higher number of urban girls reported sexual activities among their peer group as compared to rural ones. However, unprotected sexual activity was reportedly higher among rural girls (10.26%). Results of multivariate analysis establishes role of media in raising sexual health awareness among girls in the study area. Role of socioeconomic characteristics of adolescents is important in raising awareness, building attitudes, and determining practices pertaining to sexual and reproductive health among them. Health care institutions along with media can raise awareness about sexuality and also can inculcate responsible sexual attitudes and practices among adolescents.

Gender-based eating norms, the family environment and food intake among Costa Rican adolescents

Objective: To examine the association between family environment variables (parenting styles, family meal atmosphere), gender-based stereotypes and food intake in Latin American adolescents. Design: Structural equation modelling applied to cross-sectional data, 2017. Setting: Urban and rural sites of San José, Costa Rica. Participants: n 813; 13–18 years old. Results: Data suggest direct associations between gender-based stereotypes and intake of fruits and vegetables (FV) (β = 0·20, P < 0·05), unhealthy foods (fast food (FF)) (β = −0·24, P < 0·01) and ultra-processed foods (β = −0·15, P < 0·05) among urban girls; intake of legumes among rural girls (β = 0·16, P < 0·05) and intake of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSB) among rural boys (β = 0·22, P < 0·05). Family meal atmosphere was associated with legume intake (β = 0·19, P <·05) among rural girls. Authoritative parenting style was associated with FV intake (β = 0·23, P < 0·05) among urban boys and FF intake (β = 0·17, P < 0·05) among urban girls. Authoritarian parenting style was associated with FV consumption (β = 0·19, P < 0·05) among rural boys, and with SSB and FF consumption (β = 0·21, P < 0·05; β = 0·14, P < 0·05, respectively) among urban girls. Conclusions: Findings are the first to describe the complex family environment and gender-based stereotypes within the context of a Latin American country. They emphasise the need for culturally relevant measurements to characterise the sociocultural context in which parent–adolescent dyads socialise and influence food consumption.

Value conflict among adolescents in relation to modernization

Different choices and actions are rooted in values which define what an individual considers good or beneficial to his well being. The necessity of making choices cause conflict and it is very natural, it arises when two or more incompatible goals are active at the same time. Modern era is characterized by technological development and economic prosperity on one hand and cut-throat competition and value erosion on the other. This paradoxical situation affects adolescent’s ability to decide between sets of values which in turns may or may not associated with value conflict. The present study is an attempt to investigate the relationship between adolescents’ attitude towards modernization and extent of value conflict among them. This study also reveals the contribution of modernization as a determinant in value conflict in terms of gender and locale. For the present study a sample of 400 adolescents was taken from six government and private colleges situated in urban and rural areas of Ludhiana district. Value conflict scale by Bhardwaj and Comprehensive Modernization Inventory by Ahluwalia and Kalia were used to collect the data. Results revealed that attitude of adolescents was significantly negatively correlated with value conflict among rural and urban girls and boys. On the basis of regression analysis there was a significant positive contribution of different dimensions of modernization on positive value assumption among adolescents. Adolescents with positive attitude towards different aspects of modernization had greater inclination towards positive values.

Trends of low physical activity among Iranian adolescents across urban and rural areas during 2006–2011

It is well documented that physical inactivity is related to weight gain and a whole host of chronic diseases. This study investigated trends of low physical activity among Iranian adolescents in urban and rural areas between 2006–2011. A total of 12,178 adolescents, aged between 15 and 19 years, participated in National Surveys of Risk Factors for Non-Communicable Diseases. Data on physical activity was obtained using the global physical activity questionnaire. A complex sample survey and multinomial logistic regression were used to model physical activity levels. The percentage of adolescents who had low levels of physical activity increased from 2006 to 2011 in both urban and rural areas. Low and moderate levels of physical activity were lower in rural girls as compared with urban girls, with a prevalence ratio of 0.59 (95% CI 0.47–0.74) and 0.59 (95% CI 0.47–0.74), respectively. The corresponding values for boys residing in rural areas compared with boys in urban areas were 0.56 (95% CI 0.43–0.75) and 0.60 (95% CI 0.48–0.74), respectively. The adolescents' lifestyles showed an increasing trend for physical inactivity in both genders; however, in rural areas, only girls had a rising affinity for a sedentary lifestyle throughout the 2006–2011 years.

The Predictors of Obesity among Urban Girls and Boys Aged 8–10 Years—A Cross-Sectional Study in North-Western Poland

Background: Children worldwide are increasingly becoming overweight and obese and developing related health problems, including hypertension, lipid disorders, abnormal glucose tolerance, type 2 diabetes, and secondary psychological disorders. The aim of the study was to determine sociodemographic risk factors that predict an increase in BMI in children at an early school age. Material and method: The study covered 4972 children aged 8–10 years, including boys (N = 2461) and girls (N = 2511). Measurements of basic anthropometric indicators were used, such as body height, body weight, body composition, and physical fitness. The criteria developed by the International Obesity Task Force (IOTF) were adopted. Sociodemographic features were analyzed based on a diagnostic survey. IBM SPSS Statistics v.25 (Mineral Midrange SA, Warsaw, Poland) and IBM SPSS Amos software (Mineral Midrange SA, Warsaw, Poland) were used to perform descriptive statistics, the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test, Pearson′s chi-square test, Student’s t-test, and the Mann-Whitney U test. The statistical significance index was assumed to be p < 0.05, while p < 0.01 was taken as an indicator of a trend which was not completely statistically significant. Results: Both the children and their parents had mainly moderate BMI. A total of 78.7% of children were within the weight norm. Among girls, extreme obesity was two times more frequent than extreme underweight. The examined boys were significantly taller, heavier, and had a higher BMI than girls. There were significant differences between boys and girls in BMI; however, gender alone accounted for less than 1% variance. The influence of parents′ characteristics was much greater, increasing the explained variance to 10%. Body weight of mothers and fathers (p < 0.001), mother′s height (p < 0.01) and both parents′ level of education (p < 0.001) were detected as significant predictors of children’s BMI. Conclusions: The analysis of selected sociodemographic and health factors determining the BMI of the child population indicates the need for preventive action and health promotion both among children and their parents.

Menstrual Morbidities, Menstrual Hygiene, Cultural Practices during Menstruation, and WASH Practices at Schools in Adolescent Girls of North Karnataka, India: A Cross-Sectional Prospective Study

Background. Issues of menstrual morbidities, menstrual hygiene, and cultural practices are rarely discussed by adolescents. The burden of menstruation and cultural practices which the adolescent girls have to face has been less quantified. This study aims to assess the issues related to menstruation in school girls. Method. A cross-sectional prospective study was conducted on 1016 school-going adolescent girls in January 2020. A questionnaire in English and in Kannada was distributed to girls of class 8–12 of ages between 10 and 19 years. Results. 70.5% of the girls attained menarche by 12 to 14.9 years, 37.2% of the girls had their periods every 28–34 days, and 12.2% of the girls said they have heavy periods. 61.95% of the girls had dysmenorrheal, and 9.7% of the girls said that they required medications for the pain. 70.7% of the girls were using commercial sanitary napkins, 12.7% were using cloth, and 15.3% were using both. 55.5% of the girls who were using cloth as an absorbent were not drying the cloth in sunlight. 57.1% of the girls were washing their genitals more than 2 times a day. 93.8% were having bath during menses and 87.2% were using soap along with water. 37.7% of the girls disposed their pads by burning them, 50.8% of then disposed them in the dust bin, and 4.9% of them buried them. 8.6% of the girls said that they remained completely absent from school during periods. 17.85% said that they remained absent for a day. 53.4% of the respondents said that they have difficulty in concentrating at school. 76.1% said that they had adequate water and sanitation facilities at school. 22.3% said that there was adequate facility to change their pads at school. 73.2% said that they could get a spare pad at school. 43.3% of the girls said they avoided cultural functions during their periods, and 38.5% said that they avoided religious ceremonies and practices during their periods. 8.7% of the girls were made to sit outside the house during their periods. The girls from rural areas had poorer hygienic habits, in comparison to the urban girls. Cultural restrictions such as sitting outside the house during menstruation and restricting play were more in the rural girls than the urban girls. Conclusion. Menstrual morbidities, menstrual hygiene management, and cultural beliefs all play a role in school absenteeism in adolescent girls. Improvement of facilities at school and conducting awareness programs can help adolescent girls to attend schools.