International Journal of Adolescent Medicine and Health最新文献

Objectives: The present study was done to study the knowledge change among Medical Officers (MO) and Community health officers (CHO) regarding menstrual hygiene, early marriages, and HIV/STI with emphasis on adolescents after online training.

Methods: This is a retrospective record-based analysis conducted in the State Adolescent Health Centre, AIIMS Mangalagiri, Andhra Pradesh in 2023-2024 over 10 months. Participants were selected based on their attendance at online training sessions involving MOs and CHOs on menstrual cups, menstrual hygiene, early marriages, and HIV/STI. The data from Google Forms for pretests and post-tests, containing a total of 30 questions in English and Telugu, covering menstrual hygiene, early marriage, and HIV/STI topics was retrieved. The study covered all 26 districts of Andhra Pradesh, India, with online training sessions conducted via Zoom. The proportion of correct responses to individual questions is given with a 95 % confidence interval. Statistical comparisons of scores of individual questions were done using the McNemar test. Statistical comparisons of total scores of pre-test and post-test were done using the paired t-test. A p-value less than 0.05 was considered significant.

Results: Of the total 13,432 MOs and CHOs, 9,897 participated in the training with a response rate of 73.6 %. Among those who participated the training 2,809 (28.38 %) completed both pretest and posttest. The majority were CHOs (85.3 %), females, and aged under 35 years. Statistically significant increases in knowledge were observed across various aspects of menstrual hygiene, early marriages, and HIV/STI. Increase in knowledge regarding menstruation 4.3 % (3.5-5.1 %), p-value:<0.001, first vaginal bleeding (first menstruation) 4.7 % (3.9-5.5 %), p-value:<0.001, complication seen in delivering babies in teen pregnancy 4.9 % (4.1-5.7 %), p-value:<0.001, the symptom of STI 7.0 % (6.1-7.9 %), p-value:<0.001, and others. The total pretest mean score was 16.73 ± 4.44 and the post-test mean score was 18.81 ± 4.39. There was a statistically significant difference between pretest and post-test mean scores p value<0.001.

Conclusions: The training program significantly improved knowledge regarding menstrual hygiene, early marriages, and HIV/STI among the participants indicating the effectiveness of educational intervention in addressing gaps towards adolescent Health.

Background: Stunting is a major health problem in developing countries due to chronic malnutrition that impacts physical growth, cognitive ability, and long-term productivity. The focus of stunting prevention is generally aimed at pregnant women and toddlers, while adolescents, especially adolescent girls, are often neglected. In fact, they will be the future mothers who determine the quality of the next generation. Malnutrition and anemia in adolescents increase the risk of giving birth to stunted children. Innovative nutritional intervention programs, such as nutrition education and iron supplements, are needed to break the cycle of stunting, involving adolescents as important targets in prevention. Karuni is a program specifically designed for teenagers aged 12-15 years with the main focus being on empowering teenagers through nutrition education, reproductive health and clean and healthy living behavior as well as involving parents to optimize the program.

Methods: This study used a phenomenological approach to explore the understanding of adolescent girls aged 12-15 years about the stunting prevention program in Gunungkidul Regency, Indonesia. Data were collected through in-depth interviews and FGDs with adolescents, officials running the Adolescent Health Care (PKPR) program, and related agencies. Data validity was guaranteed by triangulation of sources and NVivo was used for analysis.

Results: The identified five themes related to the adolescent intervention program for stunting prevention: program implementation, achievements, barriers, needs, and KARUNI model design. Program monitoring is important, but faces barriers such as the lack of prioritization and motivation. Cross-sectoral collaboration, innovation, and appropriate media are needed in the implementation of the KARUNI model to increase the effectiveness of the stunting prevention program for adolescents.

Conclusions: The importance of the role of adolescents in efforts to reduce the prevalence of stunting, especially through collaboration between health centers (Puskesmas) and schools in implementing the PKPR program, providing iron tablets, and health screening.

Objectives: This study aimed to examine the relationship between marijuana use and aggression and victimization among Colombian adolescents. We aimed to clarify marijuana's distinct role by comparing different categories of drug use and by considering the order of drug initiation.

Methods: We conducted a secondary analysis of nationally representative cross-sectional data collected from Colombian adolescents in 2016. The original sample included 80,018 students in Grades 7 to 11. Participants were categorized into marijuana-use groups - EXCLUSIVE (marijuana only), INITIAL (marijuana use before other drugs), and SUBSEQUENT (marijuana use following other drugs) - and non-marijuana-use groups - NON-DRUG (no use), ONE-DRUG (one other drug only), and MULTIPLE-DRUG (two or more other drugs).Aggressive behaviors (individual aggression, group aggression, harassment) and victimization were assessed based on self-reported involvement in the past 12 months. Logistic regression models examined associations between marijuana use patterns and these outcomes, controlling for sex, age, parental education, and grade repetition. For the SUBSEQUENT group, the total number of other drugs used was also controlled.

Results: Adolescents with no drug use had the lowest rates of all aggressive behaviors and victimization. As drug use increased, so did the prevalence of these outcomes, with MULTIPLE-DRUG users exhibiting the highest levels. Compared to NON-DRUG adolescents, each marijuana-use group (EXCLUSIVE, INITIAL, SUBSEQUENT) showed increased odds of some forms of aggression and victimization. For example, EXCLUSIVE users had higher odds of aggression compared to NON-DRUG users. However, the magnitude of these associations differed when comparing marijuana-use groups against each other and against ONE-DRUG and MULTIPLE-DRUG groups. INITIAL and SUBSEQUENT users often demonstrated greater odds of aggression than EXCLUSIVE users, suggesting that polydrug involvement and the sequence of drug initiation matter.

Conclusions: These findings underscore the importance of moving beyond binary classifications of marijuana use when examining aggression and victimization among adolescents. Marijuana use is associated with an increased risk of aggression and victimization, but other substance use patterns and the temporal order of drug initiation influence this relationship. Policymakers, educators, and clinicians should consider these when designing preventive interventions. Future research should employ longitudinal designs and incorporate additional contextual variables to further clarify the mechanisms linking marijuana use to aggression and victimization.

Introduction: The transition from childhood to adulthood is an ups-and-down experience determined by increased independence, formation, and development of personal identity. Children with chronic diseases compared to their peers, face more challenges during this period that can exacerbate their symptoms and negatively affect their quality of life. This research aims to review the studies that have investigated the ways to improve the quality of life of children and adolescents with chronic diseases in Iran.

Content: In this study, a search was done in the international databases of PubMed, Scopus, web of Science, Google Scholar, and the internal databases of Magiran and SID with related keywords including children, adolescents, chronic diseases, quality of life, health, nursing interventions were carried out from 2010 to July 2024. Exclusion criteria included summaries of conference articles and foreign articles other than Persian and English.

Summary and outlook: In the primary search, 363 articles were found. After removing duplicates and unrelated items, and finally, 36 articles (52.77 % in English, 47.22 % in Persian) were examined in line with the objectives of the present study. The results of the study indicate that non-pharmacological interventions can significantly improve the quality of life of adolescents with chronic diseases. Nursing interventions appear to have a positive and significant effect on the quality of life of children and adolescents with chronic illness.

Objectives: With rising work pressure, balancing personal life is not easy for any professional. Aspirations at the time of admission into professional college do not last for long, as we observe doctors who are less satisfied than enthusiastic first-year students at dental college. The present study aimed to determine subjective well-being and comparison of satisfaction with life among first professional dental students and doctors of a teaching hospital in the National Capital Region, India.

Methods: The current study was conducted for one month among 100 1st year dental students and 100 junior doctors, including the faculty of a teaching hospital in the National Capital Region, India. Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS) was used to assess the level of satisfaction in their lives. Associated factors which might affect this satisfaction were also enquired for.

Results: The mean age of first professional dental students and doctors was 19.3 ± 1.6 and 27.52 ± 2.54 years, respectively. 76 (76%) 1st professional students and 68 (68%) doctors were found to be satisfied with their lives when assessed over SWLS. Odds of being satisfied were significantly more in the age group of 20-25 years. Those students and doctors who had opted for dental, taking it as a reputed profession or as their ambition, were found to be more satisfied with their lives. Students who were satisfied with the hostel accommodation were significantly more satisfied with their lives. Among doctors, those who were either married or were in a relationship and who were satisfied with their income were more satisfied.

Conclusions: A significant proportion of doctors and 1st professional dental students were satisfied with their lives. More students were satisfied with their lives than doctors. Factors like satisfaction with income and reason for joining the dental profession were found to have significant associations.

Background: Adolescents make up 18 % of India's total population, with 116 million being girls. Most research has focused on menstrual health and hygiene practices, with limited studies on menstrual pain/disorder (MPD) among adolescent girls using micro-level data from specific regions of India.

Objectives: This study aims to investigate the prevalence of menstrual pain/distress, its treatment-seeking behavior, and its associated predictors among adolescent girls.

Methods: The study employed data from a cross-sectional study design and interviewed 6,715 adolescent girls from 16 major States of India.

Results: The prevalence of MPD among adolescent girls was 61.8 %. Of these, a higher proportion of girls reported severe abdominal/back pain (90 %), followed by severe distress/irritation (26 %) and heavy bleeding (21 %). Findings suggest that girls who were educated about menstrual health were more likely to identify MPD and seek its treatment. Regarding treatment seeking for MPD, surprisingly, only about 14.3 % of girls sought treatment from health personnel, while 61 percent did not seek treatment at all. Home remedies (57 %), medical shops (25 %), and frontline workers or primary health centers (20 %) were found to be the preferred source of treatment. The prevalence of MPD and its treatment-seeking varies significantly by socio-economic characteristics.

Conclusions: The findings underscore the importance of providing menstrual health education and raising awareness of early identification and treatment-seeking among adolescent girls. The Government of India's efforts in initiating Adolescent Reproductive and Sexual Health (ARSH) and Rashtriya Kishor Swasthaya Karyakram (RKSK) programs are noteworthy. Having sufficient and well-trained peer educators can accelerate the process of health education and generate demand for healthcare services.

Objectives: To examine the levels of social, academic, and emotional self-efficacy in school-aged girls and to identify the factors that contribute to these self-efficacies.

Methods: This study included 246 girls in Sistan and Baluchistan, located in southeastern Iran. This cross-sectional study was conducted on 246 teenagers between the ages of 11 and 18 and the questionnaire consisted of a demographic form, the Self-Efficacy Questionnaire for Children (SEQ-C), the Multidimensional Anxiety Scale for Children (MASC), and the Children's Depression Inventory (CDI).

Results: The mean scores for social, academic, and emotional self-efficacies were found to be 27.24 ± 5.67, 30.52 ± 6.47, and 22.29 ± 6.36, respectively. All categories of self-efficacy had mean scores that were higher than the questionnaire midpoint. Furthermore, for every type of self-efficacy, the study identified significant predictors. To be more precise, social self-efficacy was significantly predicted by anxiety, depression, and education level (R²=13.7 %, p<0.001). Additionally, anxiety and age were significant predictors of academic self-efficacy (R²=4.9 %, p=0.002). Lastly, anxiety and education level were significant predictors of emotional self-efficacy (R²=9.2 %, p<0.001).

Conclusions: The results suggest that focusing on reducing depression and anxiety levels could potentially have a positive impact on various aspects of self-efficacy.