Hygiene In Nepal Essay

The adolescent population in Nepal is about 6.4 Million or 24.2% of total population of Nepal. Majority of them lives in rural areas (CBS, 2011). They suffer from preventable health conditions and they have significant sexual and reproductive health needs. The puberty onset mean age for Nepal is 13.5 years which brings enormous physiological and emotional changes demanding ASRH information and services (MoHP, 2012). However, awareness among adolescents and parents about managing this transition is low. A study on knowledge about menstrual hygiene in rural Nepal revealed that only 41 % of adolescent’s girls were aware about mensuration and only 13% were practicing menstrual hygiene. Evidences show that adolescent has significant unmet need for comprehensive ASRH information and services (Adhikari et al, 2007).

Awareness of HIV and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) is high, however less than a third of adolescents have comprehensive understanding of HIV prevention, girls more so than boys ( 16)

In addition to providing essential curative care for common adolescent health complaints, health services are also a crucial source of preventive services related to SRH, nutrition, substance use, mental health and other risk factors for poor health later in life. Health facilities can also be an important entry point for broader health promotion interventions: around half of all adolescents in Nepal report accessing a health facility in the previous 12 months, 43% of these from a government facility, representing a key opportunity to provide comprehensive health information and counselling (MOHP, 2012) . Indeed a review of adolescent’s SRH in Nepal reported that health services are an important source of sexuality education and counselling, although attention to provider attitudes and skills and accessibility is