EFFECT OF A SCHOOL-BASED AWARENESS PROGRAMME ON KNOWLEDGE OF POLYCYSTIC OVARY SYNDROME AMONG ADOLESCENT GIRLS IN RURAL JAIPUR, INDIA: A PRE-EXPERIMENTAL STUDY WITH ITEM-WISE ANALYSIS

Background: Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) usually begins in adolescence, but rural Indian school girls receive almost no formal information about it. This study measured the effect of a single structured awareness programme on PCOS knowledge and identified, item by item, which aspects of the condition remained least understood after teaching. Methods: A one-group pre-test post-test pre-experimental study was conducted among 100 girls aged 14–17 years in selected schools in villages of Jaipur district, Rajasthan, recruited by non-probability convenience sampling. Knowledge was measured with a 19-item structured questionnaire (range 0–19) administered in Hindi and English before and after a lecture-based awareness programme. Total scores, five content subscales and individual items were analysed using paired t-tests, McNemar tests and chi-square tests of association. Results: All 100 girls completed both assessments. Only 22.0% had heard of PCOS before the programme. Mean knowledge rose from 7.38 ± 2.79 to 15.13 ± 2.87 (mean difference 7.75; 95% CI 7.01–8.49; t(99) = 20.66; p < 0.001; d = 2.07). Girls with poor knowledge fell from 78.0% to 4.0% and those with good knowledge rose from 1.0% to 61.0%. Every one of the 19 items improved significantly (McNemar, p < 0.001). Gains were largest for the causes and risk factors subscale (17.3% to 66.0% of maximum) and smallest for prevention and complications, which started highest (63.7% to 93.5%). Four items remained below 60% correct after teaching: hormones produced by the ovaries (57.0%), menstrual cycles per year in PCOS (53.0%), hormones responsible for PCOS (52.0%) and number of ovaries (69.0%). Post-test knowledge level showed no significant association with any socio-demographic or menstrual variable. Conclusion: A single school-based session produced large, uniform improvement in PCOS knowledge among rural adolescent girls, irrespective of background. Endocrine and cycle-related content was learned least well and needs stronger teaching methods than a one-off lecture.