Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice Study of Adolescent Girls about Safe Sexual Practices

ABSTRACT

Introduction: Reproductive health of adolescent girls is crucial in determining the health of future generations. Sexuallytransmitted diseases (STDs) are a major public health problem not only in India but also all over the world. The World HealthOrganization estimates that 150–300 million new cases of curable STDs occur annually worldwide.Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the adolescent girls’ knowledge and attitude toward sexual practices andSTDs and HIV.Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in the city of Jammu from July 2019 to September 2019. Thestudy included adolescent girls who have attended the Outpatient Department in SMGS Hospital for varied complaints andcollege-going adolescent girls from different colleges of Jammu region. A total of 1000 girls were included in the study.Results: About girls were aware of all the signs of adolescence. Majority (81%) had the idea about various aspects of sexeducation. Most (88%) of the girls wanted sex education to be included in the curriculum and 52% wanted it to be started at13–15 years of age. Emergency contraceptives were known only to 28%. STD awareness was present in only 34.6% of girls.About 95.6% had heard about HIV/AIDS, but only 32.1% knew about abbreviation of AIDS. Only 54% were aware of the rightlegal age of marriage for girls.Conclusion: Adolescents should be given education on sexual health in schools and colleges without disturbing the socioculturalnorms of the society. Preventions and precautionary measures regarding sexual health should be taught to the young generationto have a healthy nation.