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A Study to Assess the Knowledge Regarding PCOS (Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome) among Nursing Students at NUINS.
Corresponding Author: Sunanda B., Lecturer, Dept. of OBG Nursing, Nitte Usha Institute of Nursing Sciences, Nitte University, Paneer, Mangalore - 575 018, Mobile: 9482098457, E-mail: sunanda@nitte.edu.in
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Received: ,
Accepted: ,
This article was originally published by Thieme Medical and Scientific Publishers Private Ltd. and was migrated to Scientific Scholar after the change of Publisher.
Abstract
Polycystic ovarian syndrome is an endocrine disorder which affects the adolescent girls. It has been found through studies that it affects around 5% to 10% of women in their reproductive years. The study was conducted to assess the knowledge on the polycystic ovarian syndrome among the student nurses. The data was collected from the nursing students by using structured questionnaire. The data collected from 150 samples in Nitte Usha Institute of Nursing Sciences. Descriptive survey research approach was adopted and data was analyzed by using descriptive and inferential statistics. Distribution of the samples on demographic characteristics revealed that 85% of the samples were in the age group of 21–25years, 75% of the samples were Christians, 82% of the samples were consuming mixed diet, and 92% samples had regular menstrual cycle. 76% of the samples were with average knowledge and 10.7% with good knowledge regarding polycystic ovarian syndrome. Hence the study concluded that Source of information, consumption of junk food, dietary patterns of the students were associated with their level of knowledge on PCOS at 5% level of significance.
Keywords
Knowledge
PCOS
Nursing Students
Introduction
Adolescent period is a unique period where there is a change from childhood to adulthood, a time of physiological, psychological, social and emotional adaptation. During this period individual attains physical and sexual maturity, whereas emotional maturity will be imbalanced. The changes in adolescent period have important implications to understand the health risks associated with this syndrome.1during this period, the body changes and there will be development of secondary sex characteristics. Any difference of secondary sex characteristics can inversely affect the physical and emotional adaptation of the adolescent.
Polycystic ovarian syndrome is a condition in which woman has an imbalance of female sex hormones. This may lead to changes in the menstrual cycle, cyst in the ovary, failure to conceive and other health problems. It is a common health problem among teenagers and young women. It affects 5% to 10% of women in their reproductive years. These problems causes infertility. Although there is no cure for PCOS, there are several ways to treat and manage the condition. If a girl is overweight, Weight loss can be very effective in lessening many of the health conditions associated with PCOS. Sometimes weight loss alone can restore hormone level to normal, causes many of the symptoms to disappear or become less severe. Healthy food habits and exercise helps to combat the weight gain. Research has suggested that PCOS may be related to increased insulin production. PCOS seems to run in families, too, so if someone in the family has it, they might be more likely to develop it. India has witnessed about 30% rise in polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) cases in the last couple of years. Lack of knowledge and lifestyle changes are considered to be the major factor leading to this phenomenon. There is a need to increase awareness among women so as to avoid major cases of fertility problems in the future. A Nurse holds a critical role in health care that goes beyond the day to day duties. Nurses are in a position to provide comprehensive care to adolescent afflicted with the syndrome. Essential elements of nursing practice should be included in the nursing education. So upgrading the knowledge regarding PCOS to nursing students will enhance the adolescent girls to modify their lifestyle and reduce the risk.
Materials and methods
Descriptive survey approach and descriptive design was adopted in this study. The study was conducted on 150 2ndyear and III year B. Sc. Nursing students of Nitte Usha Institute of Nursing Sciences by using simple random sampling technique. The data was collected by using structured knowledge questionnaire on PCOS which consists of 20 items. The investigator obtained permission from the authorities of the college, prior to the data collectionand assured confidentiality to the subject to get their cooperation and explained the purpose of the study. The results were analyzed through descriptive and inferential statistics.
Results
Most of the students (85%) were in the age group of 21-25years. Most of the students were Christians (75.3%). Among the students, 82.7% were consuming mixed diet, 4% of the students were exclusively vegetarians. 92% of the students had regular menstrual cycle.
Level of knowledge of the students was assessedthrough frequency and percentage which depicts that most of the students (114) had averageKnowledge (76%).
| Characteristics | Poor | Average | Good | Test statistic | P value | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age | 18–20 | 17 | 98 | 13 | 0.533(Fisher’s exact) | 0.854 |
| 21–25 | 3 | 16 | 3 | |||
| Religion | Hindu | 5 | 16 | 2 | 2.972(Fisher’s exact) | 0.812 |
| Muslim | 0 | 2 | 0 | |||
| Christian | 14 | 87 | 12 | |||
| Others | 1 | 9 | 2 | |||
| Course Of Study | 2nd B.Sc.(N) | 12 | 53 | 8 | 1.256(Chi-square) | 0.549 |
| 3rd B.Sc.(N) | 8 | 61 | 8 | |||
| Dietary Pattern | Veg. | 3 | 1 | 2 | 17.007(Fisher’s exact) | 0.001* |
| Non-veg. | 6 | 13 | 1 | |||
| Mixed | 11 | 100 | 13 | |||
| How Often Do You Consume Non-Veg. | Weekly once | 6 | 15 | 0 | 10.193(Fisher’s exact) | 0.029* |
| Weekly twice | 9 | 63 | 6 | |||
| >twice in a week | 5 | 36 | 10 | |||
| Do You Like Junk Food | Yes | 11 | 57 | 13 | 5.525( Chi-square) | 0.063* |
| No | 9 | 57 | 3 | |||
| Amount of Water Intake Per Day | 500–1000ml | 13 | 69 | 13 | 4.485(Fisher’s exact) | 0.289 |
| 1000–2000ml | 5 | 41 | 3 | |||
| >2000ml | 2 | 4 | 0 | |||
| Regularity Of Menstrual Cycle | Regular | 0 | 10 | 2 | 2.148(Fisher’s exact) | 0.329 |
| Irregular | 20 | 104 | 14 | |||
| Menstruation disorder | Yes | 20 | 109 | 15 | 0.962(Fisher’s exact) | 0.608 |
| No | 0 | 5 | 1 | |||
| Source of information | Health personnel | 3 | 25 | 4 | 15.968(Fisher’s exact) | 0.058* |
| Friends | 2 | 12 | 0 | |||
| Parents | 5 | 34 | 7 | |||
| Teachers | 4 | 36 | 2 | |||
| Mass medias | 5 | 5 | 3 | |||
| No information | 1 | 2 | 0 | |||
The above table shows that there is an association between knowledge on PCOS and demographic variables such as dietary pattern, consumption of non-vegetarian, consumption of junk food and source of information.
Discussion
The study was conducted on 150B.Sc. nursing students to assess the knowledge regarding PCOS. Students above 18 years of age were included in this study. Most of the students were in the age group of 21-25 years(85%). Analysis was done by frequency percentage. The level of knowledge was categorized into poor (13.3%), average (76.0%) and good (10.7%). The finding of the study shows that majority (114) of students had average knowledge.
Conclusion
Due to the varied nature of PCOS and the large range of possible signs and symptoms, health personnel need a thorough knowledge of the disorder and its management. Nurses should be aware of the various organizations which render support. Counselingfor adolescents should be includedin the curriculum which will provide an awareness towards the disorder and lifestyle modification. In this study the 2nd and 3rd year BSc. (N) students hadaverage knowledge on polycystic Ovarian Syndrome.
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