Knowledge on Prevention of Reproductive Tract Infection among Married Women Residing at Kalapet, Puducherry.

P. Santhi

Vinayaka Mission’s College of Nursing, Karaikal.

E-mail: psanthi03@gmail.com.

ABSTRACT:

Reproductive tract infection is the hidden problem in the community and may leads to physical, psychological and social consequences among the life of married women. This study aimed to assess the knowledge on prevention of reproductive tract infection among married women in order to provide health education to prevent the occurrence of reproductive tract infection among married women. A descriptive study was carried out for this study. Out of 1050 married women, 300 married women were selected from the survey list by systemic random sampling technique. A structured questionnaire with interview schedule was used to collect the information from the selected married women. Both descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyse the data. Results: The present study revealed that the overall adequate knowledge (11.67 %) on prevention of reproductive tract infection among married women was very less. It also revealed that there was a significant relationship between the knowledge on prevention of reproductive tract infection with the selected demographic variables such as educational level (c² = 19.39), occupation (c² = 20.97), monthly family income of the married women (c² = 13.91) and the age at the marriage of the subjects (c² = 13.81). This study shows that a need to plan and implement health teaching programme to impart adequate knowledge among married women to prevent RTI.

KEY WORDS: Knowledge, Reproductive Tract Infection (RTI), Married women

INTRODUCTION:

Women of reproductive age group (15-45 years) constitute 19% of the total population in India and they are the architects of their children’s future³. The common problem faced by the women during this reproductive age group (15-45 years) includes puerperal sepsis, infection related to abortion, pelvic inflammatory diseases, infertility and Reproductive Tract Infections (RTI) including sexually transmitted diseases and HIV/AIDS. Among these, the reproductive tract infection (RTI) including sexually transmitted diseases (STD) and HIV/AIDS forms the second leading cause of death among women and accounts for 6% of global disease burden.⁴

In Puducherry (Department of health and family welfare, Puducherry) during the year 2008-09, there were 17,578 cases tested for VDRL and the results shows 86 persons were reactive. In Kalapet, the average monthly reported cases with complaints of reproductive tract infection are 25.

WHO (2004) stated that the Reproductive Tract Infections and sexually transmitted diseases are now recognized as a serious global threat to the health of the population.¹⁰ An estimated 340 million cases of Sexually Transmitted Infections occur every year and most of which are treatable. Many are untreated because they are difficult to diagnose and lack of competent affordable services.⁹ Hernandez. L.S and et al (2006) suggested that the knowledge of RTI in general was limited, although the knowledge of AIDS was higher. The adverse environment is thought to be a major contributor to vaginal discharge, inflamed ovaries and urinary tract infection.⁶ Sigma associated with RTI often keeps the women away from seeking care or obtaining information about gynaecological symptoms. Along with this lack of awareness, ignorance, lack of time and lack of health seeking behaviour leads these women not taking proper treatment.

Figure – 1CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK BASED ON BECKER’S HEALTH BELIEF

OBJECTIVES:

To assess the knowledge on prevention of reproductive tract infection among selected married women.

To associate the knowledge on prevention of reproductive tract infection with selected demographic variables of married women.

To provide health education to the married women regarding prevention of reproductive tract infection if necessary.

METERIALS AND METHODS

Descriptive research design was used to collect the information for the present study. The research variable of the present study was the knowledge on prevention of reproductive tract infection among married women and the demographic variables were age, education, occupation, family income, religion, age at marriage and the number of children.

Setting: The study was carried out at Kalapet village which belonged to Uzhavarkarai Commune situated at the East Coast Road, Union territory of Puducherry. The total population was 7,876 which included 4081 males and 3795 females. A baseline survey was carried out to estimate the total number of married women between the age group of 18-45 years and it was 1050.

Study duration: The study was undertaken from September 2009 to October 2010. The data was collected in the month of February 2010 from the selected married women.

Sample size and samples: Out of 1050 married women between the age group of 18-45 300 married women were selected for the present study.

Sampling Technique: By use of systemic random sampling technique the information is collected from every 3^rd women in the survey list.

Data collection tool: Structured questionnaire with interview schedule was used which consists of two sections. Section – A deals with demographic data of married women which consists of name, age, educational level, occupation of the women, monthly family income, religion, age at marriage and number of children. Section – B consists of 35 closed ended questions related to reproductive tract infection and its prevention.

Plan for data analysis: Both descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyze the data. Frequency and percentage were used for describing the demographic variables. Mean and standard deviation were used to describe the knowledge level on prevention of reproductive tract infection. Chi-square was used to find the association between the knowledge on prevention of reproductive tract infection and the demographic variables.

RESULTS:

In this study the majority of married women, 126 (42%) were between the age group of 25-35 years, 127 (42.33%) had up to secondary education, 260 (86.67%) were unemployed, 272 (97.33%) married women had the monthly family income of less than Rs.5, 000/-, and the majority of 292 (97.33%) subjects were belonged to Hindu religion.

This study also revealed that the highest number, 218 (72.67%) study participants were married before the age of 20 years and 154 (51.33%) married women had two children at the time of study.

In this study, with regard to knowledge on reproductive tract infection the majority 213 (71%) subjects had inadequate knowledge.

With regard to the knowledge on prevention of RTI by personal hygiene the majority, 173 (57.67%) subjects had adequate knowledge.

Regarding the knowledge on prevention of RTI by menstrual hygiene, only 77 (25.67 %) subjects had adequate knowledge.

Regarding the knowledge on prevention of RTI by menstrual hygiene, only 77 (25.67 %) subjects had adequate knowledge.

With respect to the knowledge on prevention of RTI by sexual hygiene only 47 (15.67 %) married women had adequate knowledge.

Related to the overall knowledge on prevention of reproductive tract infection only 35 (11.67 %) subjects had adequate knowledge, the majority 173 (57.67%) subjects had moderately adequate knowledge and the remaining 92 (30.67%) subjects had inadequate knowledge.

Table – 1: Distribution of Mean and standard deviation of overall knowledge and knowledge on prevention of reproductive tract infection n=300

Knowledge Aspects	Mean	Standard Deviation
Reproductive tract infection	1.76	1.71
Reproductive tract infection prevention by personal hygiene	5.55	1.75
Reproductive tract infection prevention by menstrual hygiene	4.83	2.18
Reproductive tract infection by sexual hygiene	3.47	1.77
Overall	15.61	5.41

The results of the present study represents that there was a significant relationship between the knowledge on prevention of reproductive tract infection with the selected demographic variables such as educational level (c² = 19.39), occupation (c² = 20.97), monthly family income of the subjects (c² = 13.91) and the age at the marriage of the subjects (c² = 13.81). It also shows that there was no significant relationship between the knowledge on prevention of reproductive tract infection with the selected demographic variable such as age of the subjects, religion and the number of the children to the married women.

DISCUSSION:

In this study the majority of married women married before the age of 20 which might be due to their custom. This was supported by the study conducted by Usha Mullick Ukande on health seeking behaviour patterns of women of reproductive age group which revealed that most of the women both in urban slums (44%) and in rural (61.36%) of the women were married before the age of 18 years of age.

This study revealed that only 10 (3.33%) had adequate knowledge on reproductive tract infection. This less knowledge about reproductive tract infection inhibits its prevention among married women.

This study also revealed that the adequate knowledge on married women regarding personal hygiene was high, (157.67 %) where as the adequate knowledge on menstrual hygiene was very less (25.67 %). Most of the married women answered that they won’t change the sanitary pads very often and they used mostly only one napkin per day. Among the cloth users most of the women answered that they dry the clothes used during menstruation in the hidden place or in the shaded areas where no one can see. Not changing the sanitary pads regularly, not keeping proper perineal hygiene, not drying the clothes used during menstruation in direct sunlight and prevalence of lots of myths and misunderstanding about menstrual hygiene are the major causes for reproductive tract infection among the married women.

The overall adequate knowledge on prevention of reproductive tract infection (11.67 %) was very less. This was similar to the study on awareness and prevalence of reproductive tract infections among married women by Lisy Joseph (2010) which revealed that majority of the urban and rural women had inadequate knowledge on RTI.¹ This might be due to their low educational status and ignorance. This suggests that there is a need to improve awareness about the importance of personal hygiene daily, during menstruation and each sexual activity as a way to prevent RTI

CONCLUSION:

This study shows that a great need for planned health teaching programme on prevention of reproductive tract infection for married women particularly in rural and slum areas. The health teaching programme should be based on their socio-economic and cultural practices which influences their knowledge on prevention of reproductive tract infection among married women. In addition to this there should be a continuous reinforcement of married women with adequate audio visual aids helps to increase their knowledge which in turn prevents the prevalence of reproductive tract infection.

RECOMMENDATIONS:

· A similar study can be conducted in large scale in different settings.

· The study can be conducted among the adolescent girls because they also prone to have reproductive tract infection.

· A comparative study can be carried out in urban and rural area.

· An experimental study with control group can be studied to evaluate the effectiveness of structured teaching programme on prevention of RTI.

· A descriptive study to assess the prevalence and risk factors of reproductive tract infection can be done.

· A study on socio-economic and cultural factors influencing the prevention of RTI can be conducted.

REFERENCES:

1. Joseph Lisy. (2010). Awareness and Prevalence of Reproductive Tract Infection Among Married Women. 6^th International Nurses Conference souvenir. Porur: Sri Ramachandira University: 64.

2. Prasad JH et al. (2005).Reproductive tract infections among young married women in Tamil Nadu, India. International Family Plan Perspective. 31(2):73-82.

3. Park. K. (2008). Preventive and Social Medicine. Jabalpur: Banarsidas Bhanot publishers. 19^th ed., 368 – 370.

4. Gupta Piyush and O.P. Ghai (2007). “Text book of Preventive and Social Medicine”. New Delhi :CBS Publishers. 2^nd Ed., 320, 321, 326, 365-66.

5. WHO (2005). Safe Abortion: Technical and Policy Guidance for health systems. Delhi: AITBS Publishers and Distributors. Page No. 25, 43.

6. Hernandez L.S et al (2006). A qualitative interview on understandings of RTIs in periurban Pueblo Joven in Lima, Peru. BMC Womens Health. 6: 7.

7. Participant’s Manual for prevention and control of reproductive tract infection/ sexually transmitted diseases. (2008). Egmore: Department of health and family welfare.

8. Mathur J. S. (2007). Preventive and Social Medicine. New Delhi: CBS publishers. 330 and 332.

9. Prevalence of reproductive tract infection assessed through http://www.who.prevalence/rti-sti.com on February 22, 2010.

10. Reproductive tract infection assessed through http://www.reproductivehealth.nih.gov.com on 22 February 2010

11. District level household survey assessed through http://www.nic.gov.com on 20 November 2009

Received on 02.07.2011 Modified on 15.09.2011

Accepted on 25.09.2011 © A&V Publication all right reserved

Asian J. Nur. Edu. & Research 1(2): April-June 2011; Page 60-63