Impact of Health Education on Knowledge Regarding Reproductive and Sexual Health among Adolescent Girls of Anand, Gujarat

Introduction: Adolescence is defined as age group of 10-19 years. Adolescents are important resource for any country. They face many problems due to lack of information regarding their own physical and sexual development. Education about reproductive health should be an integral part of growing up. This study was designed to evaluate the impact of health education models specifically designed for this. Methodology: Study was conducted among 400 adolescent girls aged 15-16 years studying in high schools in 4 taluka of Anand district. A designed questionnaire was administered. Selected participants were divided into two groups. One group was given health education by using models and charts while another group was given education using chalk and talk method. After 2 months post-test was done to assess the impact of the intervention. Results: The overall pre-intervention knowledge regarding reproductive health was poor among the participants. Paired T test revealed significant difference between pre-test and post-test regarding reproductive health knowledge. There was no significant difference between two intervention groups. Conclusion: Health education sessions regarding sexual and reproductive health are effective in improving the knowledge among adolescent girls. Such activities should be carried out in schools on regular basis.