# Knowledge Regarding Reproductive Tract Infection Among Ever Married Females of Reproductive Age Group in Rural Tamil Nadu

## TL;DR

This study assesses the knowledge of reproductive tract infections among married women of reproductive age in rural Tamil Nadu.

## Contribution

The study provides current data on RTI knowledge and prevalence in rural Tamil Nadu, highlighting the role of health education.

## Key findings

- 90.9% of women had heard about RTIs, with health workers being the main source of information.
- 50.3% of women showed symptoms of RTIs in the past three months.
- 9.1% of women had no or poor knowledge about RTIs.

## Abstract

Background

Reproductive tract infection (RTI) is an overgrowth of the normal flora of the reproductive tract. It is an iatrogenic infection caused by unhygienic practices like unsafe abortion. Lack of knowledge plays a major role among the factors associated. The District Level Health Survey (DLHS)-4 reported that the knowledge about RTI among the rural population of Tamil Nadu is 8 percent. It is thus necessary to know about their knowledge regarding RTI.

Aim

To assess the knowledge regarding reproductive tract infection among the ever-married rural women in the reproductive age group in Kancheepuram district, Tamil Nadu.

Settings and design

A cross-sectional study was conducted in the rural Kancheepuram district of Tamil Nadu.

Materials and methods

The sample size calculated was 330. Using multi-stage random sampling, a population proportion to the calculated sample size was used. A standardized questionnaire was used for data collection. Ethical approval was obtained. Statistical analysis used SPSS -21.0 was used for statistical purposes. A chi-square test was applied for significance. P-value <0.05 is considered significant.

Results

Among 330 females, 166 (50.3%) presented with any symptom of RTIs in the past three months, and 300 (90.9%) have heard about RTIs, with the main source of information being health education by the health care workers (155, 46.9%); 9.1% (31) females had no or poor knowledge regarding the RTIs.

Conclusions

Because of a lack of knowledge, RTI was prevalent among women in the rural community who were of reproductive age. Regular health education should be given to women who are fertile in order to increase their understanding.