A Study to Assess the Level of Knowledge Regarding Pcos Among Higher Secondary School Girls in Dharmapuri, Tamilnadu.

Introduction: Polycystic ovarian syndrome is the major endocrine disorder among 13% of women during reproductive age and 6–18% of adolescents in India. It can cause irregular menstrual periods, ovarian cysts, hirsutism, obesity, acne, male-pattern baldness or thinning of the hair, and infertility. PCOS can be triggered by a sedentary lifestyle, a lack of nutritional food, insulin resistance, low-grade inammation, heredity, and an excess androgen level. Adolescents should have knowledge and awareness of PCOS, which plays an important role in treating and preventing the disease. Objectives: 1) To assess the level of knowledge regarding PCOS among high school girls. 2) To nd out the association between the level of knowledge and selected demographic variables. Methods: A quantitative evaluative approach and descriptive research design were used for this study. The study was conducted among 100 students of Govt. Girls Higher Secondary School, Adhiyamankottai, Dharmapuri. A non-randomized purposive sampling technique was used for this study. The tool consists of two parts. Section I: demographic variables and Section II: self-administered knowledge questionnaire. Result: The maximum number of samples was 74% with average knowledge, 24% with good knowledge, 2% with poor knowledge, and no one had excellent knowledge. Statistically, no association was found between the level of knowledge and demographic variables such as age in years, group in higher secondary, religion, type of family, living area, father's occupation, mother's occupation, monthly income of family, and family history. Conclusion: Through this study, we can identify the need to conduct an awareness program to enhance the knowledge of PCOS, through which we can control and prevent the same problem and its impacts in the future.