Background: India has the second largest population in the world. Majority of the health problems in women are due to the reproductive health. A positive attitude towards reproductive health is very important to our young adults as they are the future mothers and they have to impart this information to their children, and hence, we decided to conduct a study on the attitude regarding reproductive health among the second PUC science and non-science students in Bangalore.
Objective: The objective of this study is to find the difference in the attitude among the science and non-science students regarding the reproductive health and to find the relationship between the attitude scores with respect to select variables.
Materials and Methods: This was a cross-sectional study done for a period of 7 months from July 2000 to January 2001, on 600 female students (300 each from science and 300 from non-science stream) using a pre-validated self-administered questionnaire among II PUC students.
Results: The mean attitude score of the non-science students was 66.01, and the attitude score of the science students was 73.93. The difference in the mean attitude scores within the science and the non-science students with respect to the socioeconomic status was significant. The mean attitude score was highest for those who desired for a professional course among both the groups.
Conclusions: The group of science students had a better attitude towards the reproductive health when compared to the group of non-science students. The study suggests that education on reproductive health should be given by the health professionals which can improve the attitude of the adolescent students.
Key words: Science Students; Non-science Students; Reproductive Health; Sexually Transmitted Diseases/Reproductive Tract Infections; Attitude
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