Balakrishnan Surya, Carolin Archana, B Sudharsan, R Shivasakthimani
Community Medicine, Panimalar Medical College Hospital and Research Institute, Chennai, IND.
Community Medicine, Vels Medical College and Hospital, Chennai, IND.
Cureus. 2022 Mar 19;14(3):e23314. doi: 10.7759/cureus.23314. eCollection 2022 Mar.
Introduction Reproductive tract infections (RTIs) are endemic among developing countries and common among females specifically in the reproductive age group. The sequelae of this lead to infertility. The main reason behind the high prevalence was found to be the lack of awareness about the disease and the stigma toward the disease. Aims and objectives This study aims to assess the prevalence of reproductive tract infection based on the syndromic management approach among ever-married rural women in the reproductive age group in the Kancheepuram District. Methodology This community-based cross-sectional study was conducted in the rural field practice area of Chettinad Hospital and Research Institute during the period from March 2016 to May 2017. The sample size taken was 330, and the sample size was arrived at by multistage random sampling and population proportion to size. Data were collected using a standardized questionnaire of District Level Household Survey 4 (DLHS-4) on RTI/sexually transmitted infections (STIs). Data were then entered in Microsoft Excel (Microsoft Corp., Redmond, WA, USA) and analyzed using SPSS version 21 (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY, USA), and results were interpreted. Results The prevalence of RTI was found to be 50.3%, with the majority (61.3%) of women in the age group of 28-37 years, 52.85% among females living with spouses, and 57.9% from the Hindu community. The prevalence was high among the lower-middle-class and nuclear families. The commonest symptom is vulval itching with 74.09%, and the least is boils with 0.9%. A significant association was noted between RTI and menstrual hygiene practices and socioeconomic status (p < 0.05). Conclusion The prevalence was high among rural females, and the main reason behind it was the stigma and the lack of awareness. Health education using various sources should be provided to get rid of these issues.
引言
生殖道感染（RTIs）在发展中国家流行，在女性中尤为常见，特别是在育龄期女性群体中。其后果会导致不孕。发现高患病率背后的主要原因是对该疾病缺乏认识以及对该病的污名化。
目的
本研究旨在基于综合征管理方法评估金奈区育龄期已婚农村妇女的生殖道感染患病率。
方法
本社区横断面研究于2016年3月至2017年5月在切蒂纳德医院和研究所的农村实地实践区域进行。样本量为330，通过多阶段随机抽样和按人口比例抽样确定样本量。使用关于生殖道感染/性传播感染（STIs）的地区级家庭调查4（DLHS - 4）的标准化问卷收集数据。然后将数据录入微软Excel（美国华盛顿州雷德蒙德市微软公司），并使用SPSS 21版（美国纽约州阿蒙克市IBM公司）进行分析，对结果进行解读。
结果
发现生殖道感染的患病率为50.3%，其中大多数（61.3%）为年龄在28 - 37岁的女性，与配偶共同生活的女性中患病率为52.85%，印度教社区的患病率为57.9%。在中下层阶级和核心家庭中患病率较高。最常见的症状是外阴瘙痒，占74.09%，最少见的是疖肿，占0.9%。注意到生殖道感染与月经卫生习惯和社会经济地位之间存在显著关联（p < 0.05）。
结论
农村女性中的患病率较高，其背后的主要原因是污名化和缺乏认识。应通过多种途径提供健康教育以消除这些问题。
