Author(s): Anjuman Ayoub and Meenakshi Anand

Abstract:
The Present study was conducted to know the Awareness about Puberty and Menstruation among Adolescent Girls of Jammu District of the State of Jammu and Kashmir, India. Adolescents are creative, energetic and challenging. As adolescence is considered as a period of transition from childhood to adulthood. They are no longer children yet not adults. It is characterized by rapid physical growth, significant physical, emotional, psychological and spiritual changes. So, it is a transitional period that requires special attention and protection. Habits and behaviors picked up during adolescence period have lifelong impact and it is the period in which values and skills are developed that have great impact on adolescents’ well-being. The objectives of the present study were to know the awareness among Adolescent Girls regarding puberty and menstruation and to assess the awareness among Adolescent Girls regarding puberty and menstruation among rural and urban area of Jammu District. The sample consisted of 200 school going adolescent girls from Rural and Urban areas of Gandhi Nagar Educational Zone of Jammu District. The collected data was tabulated and analyzed using Z-test and scoring test. The results revealed that most of the adolescent girls were not aware and their knowledge regarding menstrual hygiene, pubertal and menstruational health was very low. Mean score of Rural Area and Urban Area was (4.83 and 7.22) respectively. It is seen that adolescents faces many physical changes as well as behavioral changes, and majority of them still do not have proper access to information and suitable guidance from their environment especially, from their elders at home and teachers in schools.