Impact of Information, Education and Communication on Adolescent Reproductive Health

Abstract

Adolescence in girls is an unexplored research area. The reproductive and sexual stage of adolescent girls, complemented with lack of forceful advocacy strategies, puts them on the verge of a myriad of psychological and social pressures and increases their vulnerability of falling prey to risky behaviours. The focus of this experimental research is the impact of Information, Education and Communication (IEC) amongst adolescent girls in the age group of 13–19 years in the Mandi district of Himachal Pradesh (HP). An inferential analysis of the impact of achieved and ascriptive variables on the knowledge and awareness of reproductive health, gender stereotypes and sources of health information of adolescent respondents has been analysed. The research reveals that adolescents lack complete knowledge and awareness on vital life processes and several aspects of reproductive health. Adolescent girls strongly desire un-inhibited information which would extricate their fears and apprehensions. The lopsided existence of information dissemination would not enable them to be empowered to shoulder the responsibility of ‘womanhood’.