Title: To Assess the Effectiveness of Health Education on Positive Self Esteem in Adolescent Girls in a Semi Urban School Tamil Nadu
Authors: Dr N.Kumar, MD, Dr S. Jayaprakash, MD, Dr P. Senthil Kumar, DM Neonatology
DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.18535/jmscr/v5i4.198
Abstract
Adolescent girls are most vulnerable group due to biological, hormonal changes and peer pressure. Health education is a part of their school curriculum. Self-esteem is a “set of attitudes and beliefs that one has about self and the surrounding world”. This study was aimed to assess the effectiveness of child to child approach in increasing the positive self esteem of adolescent girls in a semi urban school setting in western Tamil Nadu. This study was done as an experimental design, a randomized control study which was carried out among adolescent girls 10-15 years in a semi urban school. 220 students were selected based on stratified random sampling technique and all students’ socio demographic datas were collected. Their base level self esteem score was assessed by Rosenberg’s self esteem scale and Robson self esteem questionnaire. Then the students randomly allotted to study and control groups. After that a teaching programme of 45 minutes was conducted as lecture and small group discussions, work shop method with a training module. After 1 week of teaching programme their self esteem scores were assessed again for both groups with the same scale. The data were analyzed through SPSS, version 14, using Mann-Whitney test, Chi-square test, Wilcoxon, ANOVA. Before the educational intervention, the frequency distribution of girls’ self-esteem in the study and control groups did not differ significantly from each other (p> 0.5). The mean post test total self-esteem scores in the study groups compared to control groups, was significantly different (p<0.001). Before the intervention, the mean for self-esteem in the study groups was 45.70±12.80 but in the post-test the mean increased to 66.23±14.52. The statistical analysis showed no significant difference between the study and control groups concerning the students’ demographic variables. After the intervention in the study group, the general self-esteem and academic self-esteem showed the greatest change and family self-esteem had the lowest change during the study. In control group no much difference is observed in general and academic self esteem but family self esteem increased marginally (P > 0.452). This study showed that health education resulted in a significant increase in total self-esteem. National and international studies have confirmed the efficacy of peer-led approach. This approach is an effective strategy for HIV prevention, preventing smoking, breast self-examination training, and parenting in the context of children behavioural disorder. Here we tried a child to child approach and this is also found to be useful. A special trainer in each school can do this teaching learning programme with the help of a health care with a pre formed training module as in our study. It is concluded that child to child approach is also an effective way of increasing positive self esteem in adolescents.
Keywords: Self esteem, Adolescents, Education.
