Early child bearing is a widely observed phenomenon in Nepal. However, little information is available in regard to its contributing factors. This retrospective exploratory study was carried out to determine factors contributing to adolescent pregnancy in rural Nepal. Cluster sampling technique was used to select the study settings. The findings on variables contributing to pregnancy from the sample of 575 mothers, who had their first pregnancy at an age below 19 years, were compared with the findings from an equal number of mothers who had their first pregnancy at the age of 20 years or above. The adolescent mothers were married at a comparatively younger age with a mean age of 15.9 years. Parents or elders, with/without the girl's consent, decided the majority of adolescent marriages. The age at marriage exposed women to early pregnancy regardless of who decided the marriage. Comparatively, most adolescent mothers were from a low social class, engaged in agricultural work, and they had low literacy rate. Majorities of the mothers from both groups had no prior knowledge about conception until they conceived. Peers were the main source of information regarding conception. Although the majority of the respondents knew at least one method of contraception, less than 1% had used it before their first pregnancy. To conclude, early pregnancy had put the adolescent mothers at the risk of unwanted pregnancy and obstetric complications. Women empowerment through compulsory girls' education would be the most effective strategy to prepare them for late marriage, planned and delayed pregnancy, and better motherhood.

Purpose Sexual harassment has been recognized as a serious problem in the world. It reduces the dignity of human rights. Therefore, this study aims to identify the prevalence of sexual harassment in public transportation and its consequences on female students in the Kathmandu valley of Nepal. Methods A structured questionnaire was applied for collecting the data from five health science locations in the Kathmandu Valley. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression models were used to identify the association with sexual harassment and its determinants. Results The female student who lived far away from campus (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] =9.02, 95% confidence interval [CI] =0.56, 14.03) and lived alone (AOR =10.44, 95% CI =2.83, 38.46) had more chance to be harassed. However, those students who traveled sometimes (AOR =0.01, 95% CI =0, 0.03) had a lower chance to face sexual harassment in public transportation. Conclusion Sexual harassment in public transportation was found to be significantly higher in female students who live alone and who travel more frequently in the evening. In addition, the study concluded that public vehicles are strongly associated with sexual harassment among female students in the Kathmandu Valley.

It is hoped that empowerment of FCHVs will bring sustainable change in their performance and will consequently produce notable improvement in the health of women and children in particular and in the community in general.

Aim: To assess menopause specific quality of life of postmenopausal women. Method: This descriptive survey was carried out among postmenopausal women aged 40 to 60 years residing in a municipality of Kaski district of Nepal. Data was collected from 150 women meeting the criteria through face to face interview using a structured questionnaire consisting of socio-demographic items and Menopause-Specific Quality of Life (MENQOL) scale. Results: Respondents’ mean age and SD was 52.83±4.19 years and their mean menopausal age and SD was 47.12±4.34 years. The most common menopausal symptom reported by the respondents was decrease in physical strength (82.70%) and the least frequent symptom was increase in facial hair (7.40%). The mean scores and SD of MENQOL for physical, psychosocial, sexual and vasomotor domains were 1.67±0.42, 1.46±0.42, 1.31±0.47 and 1.27±0.57 respectively. Significant differences were detected in vasomotor, psychosocial and physical domain score according to physical activity, living status and body mass index respectively (p=0.05). Conclusions: Based on findings, it is concluded that all the postmenopausal women tend to have at least one or more menopausal symptoms. Physical domain is the most affected domain of QOL among the postmenopausal women. The presence of menopausal symptoms affects the quality of life of women adversely that warrants focused teaching and counselling. Keywords: menopause, menopausal symptoms and menopause specific quality of life

PurposeMalaria has been one of a major infectious parasitic disease in Nepal. Although the number of cases is gradually getting declined since last decade. Therefore, study aims to identify the trends and spatial patterns of malaria among 25 risk districts of Nepal.Materials and MethodsThis study utilized the secondary data of malaria cases from the annual reports (2001–2017) of Department of Health Services, Ministry of Health and Population of Nepal. Linear regression of log-transformed incidence rates model was used for assessing variation of malaria cases for year and districts.ResultsThere was evidence of decrease in the trend of malaria (2001–2009); however, the upward trend was revealed in 2010, after that, it starts to decline and again in 2017, it started to grow up. The malaria cases were marked variations by location with higher rates occurring in Dadeldhura, Kanchanpur, Kailali, Bardiya, and Jhapa districts, respectively.ConclusionIn this regards, malaria cases are still causing the threat in the Terai district of Nepal; however, there were fluctuating patterns of disease noted during the study periods.