Sexual and Reproductive Health: Knowledge, Attitude, and Perceptions among Young Unmarried Male Residents of Delhi.

Context. Men play a significant role in all spheres of domestic life including reproduction. Youth is a period of critical development and ignoring sexual and reproductive health (SRH) needs of young men ought to have wider social and health consequences. Aims and Objectives. To assess the knowledge, attitude, and perceptions regarding SRH among young unmarried men (18-25 years). Settings and Design. A semiqualitative study conducted across four health centers (2 rural, 2 urban) across Delhi. Materials and Methods. Focus group discussions (FGDs) were held among sixty-four participants regarding various aspects of SRH. Data Analysis. The data generated were analyzed using free listing and thematic content analysis along with simple quantitative proportions for different variable groups. Results. Good knowledge regarding HIV/AIDS was observed though found poor regarding other STIs/RTIs. Inadequate knowledge and negative attitude towards SRH and condom use were observed among rural participants. Peer group and mass media were the commonest SRH information sources among rural and urban participants, respectively. Conclusions. Poor SRH knowledge, perceptions, and available nonformal, unreliable information sources expose young men to poor SRH outcomes. Early, comprehensive SRH information provision can have life-long protective benefits to them and their partners.

Effect of a school-based hand washing promotion program on knowledge and hand washing behavior of girl students in a middle school of Delhi.

The intervention study was conducted in a school of New Delhi to assess the effect of a school based hand-washing promotion program on knowledge and hand-washing behavior among school children and extent of information sharing with parents. Intervention was carried out on randomly selected 300 students (100 each from 6th class to 8th class) with 281 students being part of the final analysis. Tools of the study were hand-washing questionnaire and household survey performa; essay, poster, slogan writing competition; classroom interactions. Data were analyzed in the SPSS 16.0 software and Mcnemar test and Student paired t-test were used. After the program, 95% felt that hand should be washed frequently. Overall, there was a significant improvement in the knowledge regarding hand-washing and frequency of hand-washing practices after the intervention. 42% children shared this information with their parents. The intervention proved effective in improving awareness and highlights the potential of school for hand-washing promotion activities.

Knowledge and practices regarding animal bite management and rabies prophylaxis among doctors in Delhi, India.

It was envisaged to study the knowledge and practices of doctors regarding management of animal bites and rabies. By dividing Delhi into 5 geographic zones, a representative sample of doctors was selected from government hospitals, dispensaries, and private settings. Many gaps were seen in the knowledge and practices of doctors regarding animal bite management. Less than half were aware of the intradermal rabies prophylaxis schedule (39.1%), site (42.2%), and dose (48.4%). The majority (81.4%) knew of the postexposure schedule in unimmunized patients. However, only 40.4% knew of the postexposure schedule in previously immunized patients, and 47.8% knew of the preexposure prophylaxis schedule. Government doctors had significantly better knowledge than private doctors with respect to the postexposure intramuscular schedule in unimmunized individuals, intramuscular site, dose, and classification of animal bites. There is a need for doctors in all health care settings to update their knowledge on different aspects related to animal bite management.

Assessment of mental health status of senior secondary school children in Delhi.

BACKGROUND: Schoolchildren undergo rapid mental, emotional, and social changes and are susceptible to psychiatric disorders. OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to assess the mental health status and some determinants in senior secondary school children in Delhi. METHODOLOGY: A cross-sectional study was carried out on a sample of 458 children, selected by 2-stage sampling. Goldberg's General Health Questionnaire containing 60 items (GHQ-60) was used for assessment of mental health. RESULTS: GHQ was administered to 239 boys and 219 girls in the age group of 15 to 20 years. Of 458 students, 113 (24.7%) had a score>or=16, the cutoff score, indicating mental morbidity among them. Among boys and girls, 28.5% and 20.5%, respectively, had some component of mental morbidity. Morbidity was significantly higher in children hailing from nuclear families and among children who had either failed or those who had scored highest in the class. CONCLUSION: Mental health needs of schoolchildren need to be addressed by the school health services.