Exploring the Socio-personal Factors Associated with the Prevalence of Symptoms of Reproductive Tract Infections among Sexually Active Married Women in Ernakulam District of Kerala, India

Background: Reproductive Tract Infections (RTIs)/Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs) are the main cause of maternal mortality and morbidity in India. The prevalence of the symptoms of RTIs was found to be very high in community-based studies. However only a few studies have explored the factors a...

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Main Authors: Ann Merrin George, Leena Kunnath Chacko
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wolters Kluwer Medknow Publications 2025-01-01
Series:Indian Journal of Community Medicine
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Online Access:https://journals.lww.com/10.4103/ijcm.ijcm_36_23
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author Ann Merrin George
Leena Kunnath Chacko
author_facet Ann Merrin George
Leena Kunnath Chacko
author_sort Ann Merrin George
collection DOAJ
description Background: Reproductive Tract Infections (RTIs)/Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs) are the main cause of maternal mortality and morbidity in India. The prevalence of the symptoms of RTIs was found to be very high in community-based studies. However only a few studies have explored the factors associated with it. This study aims to determine the socio-personal factors associated with the prevalence of symptoms of RTIs among sexually active married women in Ernakulam district of Kerala. Material and Methods: The study adopted a cross-sectional approach and was conducted among 640 married women in the reproductive age group. Results: The prevalence of the symptoms of RTIs was found to be 56.9% and about 60.16% of them had experienced multiple symptoms. Multivariate analysis showed that those women living in the urban areas (OR: 0.49, 95% CI: 0.334, 0.719), having no previous history of obstetric/gynecological risk factors (OR: 1.89, 95% CI: 1.119, 3.19) and using both clothes and sanitary pads interchangeably during menstruation (OR: 0.46, 95% CI: 0.282, 0.734) were found to be at less risk of contracting RTIs. Conclusion: The use of sanitary pads along with cloth pads can be enhanced rather than only using reusable cloths during menstruation. Also, efforts to improve the reproductive health of the women and reduce the obstetric/gynaecological risk factors should be devised to curtail the peak of RTIs.
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spelling doaj-art-8f79c461ad04417aa870025ac9e8c1d62025-02-06T05:32:49ZengWolters Kluwer Medknow PublicationsIndian Journal of Community Medicine0970-02181998-35812025-01-0150111411810.4103/ijcm.ijcm_36_23Exploring the Socio-personal Factors Associated with the Prevalence of Symptoms of Reproductive Tract Infections among Sexually Active Married Women in Ernakulam District of Kerala, IndiaAnn Merrin GeorgeLeena Kunnath ChackoBackground: Reproductive Tract Infections (RTIs)/Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs) are the main cause of maternal mortality and morbidity in India. The prevalence of the symptoms of RTIs was found to be very high in community-based studies. However only a few studies have explored the factors associated with it. This study aims to determine the socio-personal factors associated with the prevalence of symptoms of RTIs among sexually active married women in Ernakulam district of Kerala. Material and Methods: The study adopted a cross-sectional approach and was conducted among 640 married women in the reproductive age group. Results: The prevalence of the symptoms of RTIs was found to be 56.9% and about 60.16% of them had experienced multiple symptoms. Multivariate analysis showed that those women living in the urban areas (OR: 0.49, 95% CI: 0.334, 0.719), having no previous history of obstetric/gynecological risk factors (OR: 1.89, 95% CI: 1.119, 3.19) and using both clothes and sanitary pads interchangeably during menstruation (OR: 0.46, 95% CI: 0.282, 0.734) were found to be at less risk of contracting RTIs. Conclusion: The use of sanitary pads along with cloth pads can be enhanced rather than only using reusable cloths during menstruation. Also, efforts to improve the reproductive health of the women and reduce the obstetric/gynaecological risk factors should be devised to curtail the peak of RTIs.https://journals.lww.com/10.4103/ijcm.ijcm_36_23prevalencereproductive tract infectionswomen
spellingShingle Ann Merrin George
Leena Kunnath Chacko
Exploring the Socio-personal Factors Associated with the Prevalence of Symptoms of Reproductive Tract Infections among Sexually Active Married Women in Ernakulam District of Kerala, India
Indian Journal of Community Medicine
prevalence
reproductive tract infections
women
title Exploring the Socio-personal Factors Associated with the Prevalence of Symptoms of Reproductive Tract Infections among Sexually Active Married Women in Ernakulam District of Kerala, India
title_full Exploring the Socio-personal Factors Associated with the Prevalence of Symptoms of Reproductive Tract Infections among Sexually Active Married Women in Ernakulam District of Kerala, India
title_fullStr Exploring the Socio-personal Factors Associated with the Prevalence of Symptoms of Reproductive Tract Infections among Sexually Active Married Women in Ernakulam District of Kerala, India
title_full_unstemmed Exploring the Socio-personal Factors Associated with the Prevalence of Symptoms of Reproductive Tract Infections among Sexually Active Married Women in Ernakulam District of Kerala, India
title_short Exploring the Socio-personal Factors Associated with the Prevalence of Symptoms of Reproductive Tract Infections among Sexually Active Married Women in Ernakulam District of Kerala, India
title_sort exploring the socio personal factors associated with the prevalence of symptoms of reproductive tract infections among sexually active married women in ernakulam district of kerala india
topic prevalence
reproductive tract infections
women
url https://journals.lww.com/10.4103/ijcm.ijcm_36_23
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