Background:Most adolescents lack access to age- and sex-appropriate health information which is vital for young people to make informed decisions about their reproductive sexual health.Objectives:The study objective was to study the effectiveness of the interventional reproductive and sexual health education on knowledge, attitude, and menstrual practices of school-going adolescent girls.Materials and Methods:It was an interventional study consisting of a pretest, intervention session, and posttest conducted among 400 school-going adolescent girls in a rural area of Maharashtra.Results:There was a statistically significant increase in knowledge, attitude, and practice median scores following intervention (P < 0.05).Conclusions:Age- and sex-appropriate health education programs can facilitate the development of healthy reproductive and sexual behavior patterns among adolescents through the enhancement of knowledge and development of right attitude.

Background: Hypertension is a modern day's epidemic and is a major public health problem in the developed and developing countries. Hypertension is the most common cardiovascular disease, and it accounts for large proportion of all cardiovascular deaths and disability worldwide. Objectives: The objectives are (1) to study the prevalence of hypertension in rural area and (2) to study the various risk factors of hypertension. Materials and Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out to find the prevalence of hypertension and its risk factors in the village of Babhaleshwar of Tal Rahata District, Ahmednagar. A total of 1540 participants were examined using systematic random sampling method. Chi-square test and regression analysis were used to analyze data. Results: A total of 1540 participants were examined out of that 57.14% (880) were males and 42.85% (660) were females. The overall prevalence of hypertension was 11.49% (177) and that of pre-hypertension was 11.42% (176). On multiple regression analysis, body mass index, central obesity, and age were found as significant determinants of hypertension. Conclusion: The present study showed a higher prevalence of both hypertension and pre-hypertension among the rural population. Hypertension is spreading to rural areas which can be prevented and controlled by simple lifestyle modifications by the means of health education.

Background: Adolescents have many misconceptions regarding reproductive and sexual health and lack access to age and gender appropriate health information. So, they find out about the same from inauthentic sources of information. Attitudes and decisions based on such information greatly influence a woman's health.Objectives: This study was carried out to study the knowledge, attitude and practices regarding reproductive and sexual health and to study the sources used to obtain information on reproductive and sexual health. Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted among 400 schools going adolescent girls in rural area of Maharashtra. Self-structured and pre-tested questionnaire was used to assess their knowledge and attitude regarding reproductive and sexual health and study menstrual practices.Results: Total 400 adolescent girls participated in the study. The knowledge and attitude of 164 (41.0%) and 315 (78.8%) participants respectively was poor. The menstrual practices of 271 (67.8%) participants were poor. Conclusion:The knowledge, attitude and practices regarding reproductive and sexual health of more than half the participants was poor. For development of healthy attitudes and practices, age and gender appropriate health education is a must.