Impact of Multifaceted Intervention on Knowledge, Attitude and Practice Preventing Health Problems Among Adolescent Girls in Coastal Kerala

Background: Adolescence is one of life's exciting stage and has complex phases, a time when young people take on new responsibilities and experiment with independence. India has the largest adolescent population in the world. Adolescence is characterized by the rapid changes, a period in which growth is in a good pace. There are health problems showed by adolescent girls during their teenage in three major stages, nutritional, menstrual and psychological. The present study focused on such health issues in coastal areas of Kerala where the living standards are average or poor. The research highlights these adolescent girls' issues using a multifaceted intervention to find putative solutions. Methodology: The research method adopted for the present study was mixed method approach to assess the effectiveness of multifaceted intervention on knowledge, attitude and practice regarding prevention of health problems among adolescent girls. This would help the investigator to evaluate the effect of intervention that is “structured education” on the variable that is “knowledge”, “Attitude” and “practice” of adolescent girls regarding prevention of health problems. Mixed methods research integrates two forms of data (quantitative and qualitative data) and using unique designs that involve philosophical and theoretical approach. Result: Results demonstrated that there is strong relationship between the demographic profile and knowledge, attitude & practice among adolescent girls in selected coastal areas of Kerala. In addition to that, a significant association between the knowledge and practice score focusing on preventing health problems (nutritional, menstrual and psychological) also observed using the appropriate tools and methods. Conclusion: Adolescence is a beautiful period of life and generally a healthy one. The major health risks found during adolescent ages or a girl include nutritional, menstrual and psychological related issues. The present study focused on the study of such health issues in coastal areas of Kerala where the living standards are average or poor. Our results suggest that the poor knowledge level pertaining to the adolescent health problems affects the well-being in the coastal area and this needs to be addressed by healthcare providers and Nursing educators. Key words: Adolescent, Knowledge, Practice, Structured education