To educate and empower adolescent girls, researchers in PGIMER, Chandigarh have come out with a booklet titled Managing common problems at puberty- A guide for adolescent girls.
The booklet says adolescence is a critical phase of girls’ life that signals their transition into adulthood, and due to their younger age and prevailing cultural barriers, adolescents suffer a lot during this period.
Surveys indicate that girls in Indian society want someone to listen to and solve their problems. "Surely there is a need to instill among girls some independence and a sense of self sufficiency in dealing with these problems," it says.
The booklet was prepared to address selected puberty related health problems of the girls. Also, feedback and valuable comments of the experts in the field of gynecology, dermatology, endocrinology, public health, etc are given.
The booklet covers all the problems faced by the girls such as menstruation, pre-menstrual syndrome, hygiene materials, PCOS, obesity, dysmenorrhea, acne, nutrition, exercises, yoga etc. This easy to follow booklet will give young girls the confidence they need to tackle these problems on their own. It will really help those girls who are usually unable to consult doctors or physician. Most of them are hesitant in discussing these issues with anyone.This booklet is part of PhD thesis work of Dr. Risha Gupta, PhD Scholar, Dept. of Community Medicine, PGIMER, Chandigarh (main author) titled “Comparative effectiveness of two educational strategies on prevalence and pattern of puberty related health problems among school going adolescent girls of Chandigarh”.
This will form an interventional package to be given to the adolescent girls of school going age in Chandigarh, with due permission from Director Public Instruction and from respective school principals.
This booklet was framed with the guidance and contribution of Dr. A.K Sinha, Professor, Department of Anthropology, Panjab University, Chandigarh, Dr. Seema Chopra, Associate Professor, Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, PGIMER, Dr. Jugal Kishore, Director & Head, Department of Community Medicine, VMMC, New Delhi and Dr. Amarjeet Singh, Professor, Department of Community Medicine, PGIMER.