Knowledge attitudes, and practices of adolescent school girls in Baghdad regarding reproductive health, dietary and physical activity patterns

Adolescence is a critical transitional period of life , extending from 10 to 19 years of age . The past few decades have witnessed the emergence of adolescence as the single largest population group throughout the world , and specifically in the developing countries . Adolescence is a dynamic period during which the foundation stones of the personality and future lifestyles are formed . The current study aimed at investigating the adolescent school girls knowledge , attitudes , and practices with respect to menstruation , pregnancy , puberty changes , and AIDS transmission . In addition , this study attempted to explore the girls' dietary habits and physical activity patterns , along with the factors affecting them . The current study was conducted on 516 adolescent school girls , aging from 12-18 years , randomly selected from 19 middle and high schools for girls in Baghdad . All the participants were interviewed ,then their height and weight were measured to calculate the body mass index (BMI). Results showed that , 36.62% of the girls could mention 4 correct female physical changes of puberty . However, the level of knowledge in this respect was not satisfactory , since 41.86% of them cited completely irrelevant answers (e.g. need for a delicate treatment , starting to day dream , and looking attractive) , with or without other correct ones . On the other hand , knowledge regarding AIDS transmission routes (64.92%) was modest. The mean age at menarche as detected by this study , was 12.99 + 1.17years , and the C.I. 95% =10.648-15.33 years . Unfortunately , the negative attitudes towards menstruation were harbored by the majority of the adolescent girls , while only 14.72% of them rated menstruation as purely positive experience , like feeling proud for this sign of maturity . Regarding the girls' general dietary habits , the present study detected that , the number of the girls having breakfast was significantly(X2=6.47 , P<0.05) increasing when the mother was a housewife . Moreover , it had been shown that, 29.84% of the adolescent girls used to leave for school every day with out having breakfast . Interestingly , 32.17% of the adolescent females stated that they drink more than one cup of milk daily . Depending on the value of BM1 , the present study showed that the under weight girls outnumbered others (59.88%) . However , dissatisfaction with body image and over estimation of weight were revealed to be significantly (X2=7.9 , P<0.05) higher among the 16-18-year-old females(35.38%) when compared to (28.51%) the 12-15-year-olds . Concerning the physical activity patterns , several motivational factors were identified like playing for health reasons , psychological , and fun . The highest percents of the adolescents (48.33%) were motivated to play for health reasons . On the other hand , five main obstacles against sports were mentioned like , the time and place barriers , loss of interest , being very thin , and get tired easily . The most frequently cited barrier , (52.43%) was the loss of interest in physical activity . In conclusion , this study demonstrated , a highly prevalent negative attitude towards menstruation among both pre and post menarcheal girls , and several misconceptions attached to menstruation with respect to dietary and hygienic practices . Thus , a comprehensive school health education programs are very much required to improve the adolescents' knowledge , attitudes , and practices regarding reproductive health .
In addition , educational messages focusing on the immediate and long term benefits of healthy eating and physical activity , should be directed to teenagers as well as their parents .