Journal of Education and Health Promotion

Perceived health discomfort among adolescent girls and related factors in an urban area, South India

Authors

. Shabnam Omidvar
. Afsaneh Bakhtiari
. Mojgan Firouzbakht 1
. Fatemeh Nasiri Amir
. Khyrunnisa Begum 2

1 Department of Midwifery, Islamic Azad University, Babol, Iran

2 Department of Food Science and Nutrition, University of Mysore, Mysore, Karnataka, India

Abstract
INTRODUCTION: Adolescence is a period of life that is a bridge between childhood and adulthood.
India has the world’s largest adolescent girl’s population, and adolescent girls are an important
vulnerable group of population. Perceived health is a predictor of morbidity and mortality in adults
and has been an important marker of the health status in population health studies for decades. The
aim of the study was to describe adolescent’s perception of health and association between some
factors such as nutrition status, socioeconomic status (SES), and health status. As their perception
of health discomfort affects their health behavior and self‑care, therefore, their health status is an
important matter to discuss.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: A cross‑sectional study was conducted in urban areas from a major
city in South India. Six hundred and fifty adolescent female students aged 10–19 years formed the
study population. Standardized self‑reporting questionnaires were used to obtain relevant data
regarding demographic features, SES, and health status. BMI calculated for each individual. The
data were analyzed using SPSS version 16.
RESULTS: About 83.3% of participants ranked their health status as good to excellent. A majority
of the girls had one or more problems related to their menstrual cycles. The most common occurring
problem was headache (45.3%). 47.8% of participants exhibited symptoms of mild insomnia.
Strong significant association between nutritional status and SES was found. Higher percentage of
undernourished adolescents belonged to low SES.
CONCLUSION: Adolescents are expected to enjoy good health, but this does not seem to be the case
in the developing countries like India, where poverty, malnutrition, and repeated infection are rampant.
Majority of the problems such as healthy nutrition and self‑care can be solved by community‑based
programs, health education, and food fortification.

Keywords

Adolescent
health
India
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Journal of Education and Health Promotion
Volume 7, Issue 5
September and October 2017
Pages 1-6

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