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IntroductionIt is estimated that around 52% of the females from all over the world (which approximates to 26% of the total population) belong to the reproductive age (1). Out of these, almost all females have a regular menstrual cycle each month ranging from two to seven days in duration. Although menstruation is a natural process of the female reproduction, it is always considered as a taboo and people often feel shy to talk about it (2). Due to this reason, it becomes more and more difficult for the girls to follow the hygiene practices which lead to various problems in the society (3,4). Menstrual hygiene although being a very important factor is often neglected by the Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) sector and other health care personnel who focus on the knowledge and education of females regarding sexual and reproductive health. Due to this reason, a very large number of women and girls do not have their rights to proper hygiene, health, education, dignity and gender equity. If this situation remains the same, it will be extremely difficult for development programs to reach the target of healthy young generation (5,6). Impact on healthMenstruation is a natural process of female reproduction, but poor management can result in various health problems. The effect of improper menstrual hygiene on the psychological and social health of females (e.g. stress levels, fear and embarrassment, and social exclusion during menstruation) is also considered as equally important (6). The length of the menstruation period is generally about 28 days but varies from person to person within the range of 21 to 35 days. The menstrual cycle involves ovulation which is the release of female egg into the uterus. In this process tissue and blood vessels start to line the walls of the uterus for the process of fertilization. If the process of fertilization by the sperm does not occur, the preformed lining of the uterus is shed through the vagina along with blood, which results in the monthly menstrual periods (5,6). AbstractObjectives: Menstruation, although a natural process, is often linked with different types of misconceptions and social taboos, such as treating the menstruating girls as dirty, and not allowing them to discuss the menstruation related problems with other family members. All of this will eventually lead to adverse health outcomes. Keeping these facts in mind the present study was formulated to find out the knowledge and practice of university females in the area of reproductive health and hygiene. Materials and Methods:The study was carried out using a pretested and modified questionnaire. Leaflets explaining the objectives of the study were distributed in different departments of the university and subjects were invited to participate in the study. After getting an informed consent, those who agreed to fill the questionnaire were included in the study. Data were entered into SPSS-17.0 for the purpose of statistical analysis.Results: The present study shows mean age at menarche as 12.91±1.65 years. 62.5% of t...

A cross-sectional study was conducted to investigate the effect of some socioeconomic factors and lifestyle habits on the prevalence of obesity among adolescent male students in the Hail region, Saudi Arabia. A questionnaire was filled by 1495 male adolescents distributed among 12 schools in the Hail region. Body weight and height were taken, and the Z-score of students was measured using Anthroplus software with a cutoff 1–2 and +2 standard deviations to determine overweight and obesity, respectively. The study revealed that 21.3% of students were overweight and 27% were obese, respectively. There was a negative association between family size of >8 and obesity (OR: 0.68, CI: 0.48–0.92, p = 0.05). Family income of <5000 SR was negatively associated with obesity (OR: 0.59, CI: 0.36–0.97, p = 0.03). Whether a subject’s mother worked (odds ratio (OR): 1.43, confidence interval CI: 1.03–1.99, p = 0.03) as well as the subject’s mother’s education—whether she can read and write, has a middle school degree, or has done postsecondary studies—were positively associated with obesity. Exercise, regardless of the duration, was negatively associated with obesity. In addition, sleeping <6 h/day had a positive association with obesity. Conclusion: a >8 family size and a low family income were negatively associated with obesity, while having an educated and working mother was positively associated with obesity.

Recent economic upliftment has brought many changes in the food choices and eating habits from home made to fast foods. This shift in the area of nutrition has given rise to overweight and obesity. Considering this the present study was planned to 1) determine the prevalence of overweight and obesity in a sample of university students 2) Find the relationship between the body composition and dietary fat and fibre intake. A total of 300 university females, 18-30+ years were randomly selected from all the colleges at the University of Hail for the present study. A Self-administered questionnaire was given, and the Body composition were measured with the help of bio-electric impedance analysis technique. Data were analysed using SPSS -17 software. The results indicated that 22% of the students were overweight and 21.3% were obese. The mean percent body fat as well as visceral fat exceeded its normal limits in around 44% of the participants. Vegetables and fruits, except dates, were not frequently consumed by most of the participants with a mean intake of fibre as 14g/day. Significant positive correlations were found among Body Mass Index (BMI), Body Fat% and Visceral Fat level. Strong positive correlation was also found between BMI and fat intake (P< 0.01), whereas the body composition and fiber intake was found to be inversely correlated (P<0.01). Findings of present study suggest that there is need for coordinated efforts at all levels to reduce the prevalence of obesity and high percentage of body fat, and to develop healthy eating habits in young generation.

Introduction: Dysmenorrhea, or painful menstrual period, is a common complaint among 50% adolescent girls. Therefore, a cross sectional study on Urban adolescent secondary school girls aged (10-15 years) was conducted with an objective to know the prevalence of anemia and its impact on the age at menarche, dysmenorrhea and total iron intake in the diet. Methodology: Seven hundred girls were selected from four different schools of Aligarh city by Stratified Random Sampling. Questionnaire was prepared after piloting on a small sample of population and was modified accordingly to determine the number of menarcheal subjects and age at menarche Prevalence and extent of dysmenorrhea was also looked for. Mean, S.D, Chi square and linear regression analysis was done through spss 16.0 software for the purpose of statistical analysis (Dixit, 2003). Results and discussion: Out of 700 subjects, 400 girls had reached their menarche. The mean age at menarche was calculated to be 12.36 years. Among these 400 post menarcheal girls it was found that 135 (33.7%) girls suffered from different degrees of anemia. Analysis of the results revealed that the age at menarche was significantly correlated with anemia. Results also concluded that a significantly high correlation was found between severity of dysmenorrhea and anemia prevalence. The prevalence of anemia was also significantly correlated with the dietary intake of iron. The percentage of girls experiencing anemia decreased with increasing iron intake in the diet. Correlation between the various degrees of dysmenorrhea and iron intakes was also found to be fairly significant. Conclusion: From the above mentioned results it was concluded that anemia and dysmenorrhea are interrelated to each other and both are significantly affected by the iron intake of diet. Anemias as well as dysmenorrhea are the commonest health problems of adolescent girls. An improved understanding of the physiology will greatly help nutritionists and health workers to build more effective treatment methodologies.