Prevalence of RTI/STI symptoms among adolescent girls in an urban slum of Sambalpur
Introduction: Adolescents form a major part of our population and about half of this population is made up of females. Their reproductive and sexual behavior in this period have far reaching consequences on their health as they develop into adulthood. But not many studies have been done in Ind...
| Main Author: | |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Prathima Institute of Medical Sciences
2014-12-01
|
| Series: | Perspectives In Medical Research |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.pimr.org.in/volume2-issue3-Padmavathi.pdf |
| Summary: | Introduction: Adolescents form a major part of our
population and about half of this population is made
up of females. Their reproductive and sexual
behavior in this period have far reaching
consequences on their health as they develop into
adulthood. But not many studies have been done in
India to find out the prevalence of RTIs and STIs in
this particular group.
Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study
was conducted among the adolescent girls in the age
group of 10-19 years in the urban slums of
Sambalpur from January 2009 to June 2010. The
data was collected by personal interview using a predesigned and pre-tested questionnaire. Atotal of 404
girls were interviewed in the study.
Results: The overall prevalence of RTI and STI
symptoms in the adolescent girls was found to be
INTRODUCTION
The World Health Organization refers to those aged
10-19 years as adolescents. Adolescent period has
again been divided into three groups: Early
adolescence (10-13 years), mid adolescence (13-15
years) and late adolescence (15-19 years).
Adolescents in India constitute 21.8% of the total
population (Census 2001) and about half of this
population is made up of females. ¹ Adolescents
encompass a significant proportion of reproductive
age group and are playing a important role in
determining the future size and growth pattern of the
Perspectives in Medical Research | September - December 2014 | Vol 2 | Issue 3
22.5% and the most common symptom was vaginal
discharge. A total of 69 girls in the 15-19 years age
group were having symptoms of RTI/STI whereas 45
girls were educated up to primary and 63 girls
belonging to class V socioeconomic status. A
statistically highly significant difference was
observed in the context of age, literacy,
socioeconomic status and the symptoms of RTI/STI (
p<0.001).
Conclusion: A significant proportion of adolescent
girls were affected by RTI/STI as every fifth girl
reported positive symptoms. Age of the girl, literacy
and socioeconomic status were found to be
significantly associated with the symptoms of
RTI/STI. There is an urgent need to address the issue
and provide reproductive health interventions in
underprivileged areas in urban localities. |
|---|---|
| ISSN: | 2348-1447 2348-229X |