Volume 30, Issue 5

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 χ 2 -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.

Objective This study aimed to investigate differences in healthcare seeking behaviour and barriers between students living in the parental home and those living on their own. Participants Five hundred and six second year students of the University of Amsterdam (UvA), interviewed in March and April 2015. Methods In a paper-and-pencil survey, questions were asked about the students’ healthcare seeking behaviour and barriers. Differences according to residency were analysed with χ 2 -tests and regression models. Results The frequency of healthcare seeking behaviour varied according to residency, but none of the differences were statistically significant. Yet, a proportion of students living on their own visited primary healthcare providers less often after they changed residency (23.7% for general practitioner and 41.8% for dentist). Travel distance and lack of time were most often mentioned as barriers to students living on their own. Conclusion The barriers implicate the importance of encouraging students living on their own to switch to a new general practitioner or dentist.

A 14-year-old boy presented to our hospital with a chief complaint of difficulty in opening his mouth and a burning sensation on eating spicy food. The oral mucosa showed generalized diffused blanching and he was unable to protrude his tongue. For 6 years he had habitually chewed gutkha – a mixture of betel nut and tobacco for several minutes a day. This oral submucous fibrosis condition is very rare in young patients. The case highlights the link between oral submucous fibrosis and the regular use of areca nut (gutkha) products in a young boy.

Background Globally, efforts are being made to control tobacco use. However, adolescents who are susceptible to cigarette smoking constitute a major challenge to control efforts. Defining the magnitude of susceptible adolescents and associated factors in any setting is critical to the development of measures that will successfully address this issue. This study estimated the prevalence and factors associated with susceptibility to cigarette smoking among non smoking students in Ilorin, North Central Nigeria. Methods A cross sectional study involving 2000 secondary school students selected via multistage sampling technique. Data was collected using a self administered questionnaire, while analysis was done using SPSS 16.0. Results Prevalence of susceptibility to cigarette smoking among non smoking respondents was 13.6% (14.5% among males and 11.4% among females, respectively). Factors associated with susceptibility to cigarette smoking were parental smoking habit [odds ratio (OR) = 4.43], having close friends who smoke (OR = 6.54), engagement in vocational training (OR = 1.39), exposure to environmental tobacco smoke at home (OR = 1.61), knowledge of harmful effects of tobacco (OR = 2.35) and perceptions of the effect of cigarette smoking such as enhancing attractive among boys (OR = 2.03), and causing weight gain among boys (OR = 2.39) and among girls (OR = 6.05). Conclusion The high prevalence of susceptibility to cigarette smoking among the non smoking students highlights the potential for future increase in prevalence of cigarette smoking in the setting. Efforts at controlling cigarette smoking will not be totally successful if susceptibility to cigarette smoking among adolescents is not addressed.

Background University students’ substance abuse and risky sex contribute to sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). Purpose We develop and empirically test a formative theoretical model of sexual temptation involving substance abuse (cigarettes, alcohol, and marijuana), safe sexual behavior (use of condom/barrier for oral and vaginal intercourse), risky sexual behavior (unprotected sex and multiple sexual partners), and STDs: gonorrhea, HIV, and genital herpes. We simultaneously explore these constructs, controlling membership in social groups (fraternity/sorority, varsity athlete, and club sports) and perceived norm of substance abuse. Methods A total of 687 American university students completed the National College Health Assessment (NCHA). We use structural equation modeling (SEM) to test the goodness of fit between our formative theoretical model and actual data. Results Results reveal the following discoveries: membership in campus social groups is positively associated with STDs, whereas perceived norm of peer substance abuse is negatively related to STDs. Under the influence of substance abuse, we test three outcomes of sexual temptation as related to STDs. Those who have no sex do not contract STDs. For those who fall into temptation and have sex, substance abuse is more strongly related to risky sex which leads to STDs than safe sex which does not. Those engaging in risky sex have significantly higher cognitive impairment than those practicing safe sex. Conclusions Substance abuse contributes to STDs through risky sex only. Those having risky sex suffer higher cognitive impairment than those practicing safe sex. We provide novel implications to policy makers, practitioners, and researchers.

Background Hepatitis B virus infection is a general cause of chronic hepatitis, liver cirrhosis and hepato-cellular carcinoma worldwide. It is highly contagious. It is an important reason for morbidity and mortality in the Indian population. Oral health professionals are at the highest risk. Vaccination for hepatitis B can prevent this deadly disease. Methods The present study was designed to evaluate the degree of awareness, knowledge of hepatitis B infection and status of hepatitis B vaccination among dental students. A cross-sectional study was conducted among 240 students of 3rd year, 4th year and interns of a professional dental course. A pre-tested questionnaire was given to the students of each year. All the data management and analysis were carried out using SPSS software version 16. Results Eighty-six percent of the students had knowledge about hepatitis B infection. The majority of the students had correct knowledge regarding mode of transmission, however, 21% failed to recognize saliva as the mode of hepatitis B transmission. Forty-five percent of the students were vaccinated for hepatitis B. Conclusion The present study concludes that there is reasonable awareness of hepatitis B infection hazards, its transmission and vaccination, among the dental students who will be entering into the profession. However, half of the students were not vaccinated for hepatitis B in our study group, which keeps them at risk to the disease. The Indian Health Ministry should make hepatitis B vaccination mandatory for all health care professionals. A strategy should be executed for health education and compulsory vaccination of all students joining the health care professional colleges. Antibody titers should be routinely checked among those who are vaccinated.

Background Adolescent girls in Nigeria experience a disproportionately high burden of sexual and reproductive health disparities that affect their well-being. Yet, little is known about adolescent girls’ own unique perspectives of the sexual and reproductive health challenges they face, and possible solutions to these challenges. Aims To explore top sexual and reproductive health concerns of female adolescents in Nigeria and their perceptions regarding potential solutions to these issues. Methods Eighty adolescent girls attending two public secondary schools in Lagos, Nigeria completed individual free-listing interviews. Items assessed their perceptions of the most important sexual and reproductive health issues and potential solutions to these issues at the individual and societal level. Data were analyzed using Anthropac 4.98 to sort the lists by item frequency as well as to determine Smith’s salience index ( S ). Results The top five sexual and reproductive health concerns identified by participants were human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)/acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS), followed by menstrual pain, vaginal infections, sexual abuse and teenage pregnancy. Adolescent girls stated that youth empowerment programs that provide access to skills-building opportunities and mentors was one potential strategy for addressing their sexual and reproductive health priorities. Other solutions identified were access to medical checkups, general health talks focused on their sexual and reproductive health concerns as well as access to health facilities and opportunities to build self-efficacy skills. Conclusion Adolescent girls in Nigeria need to be engaged in becoming powerful agents in improving their own sexual and reproductive health, and in crafting solutions that may be effective in enabling them to achieve their full potential and rights to health and well-being. The findings will be used to develop an intervention targeting the sexual and reproductive health priorities of adolescent girls in Lagos, Nigeria.