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APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing

Nicole J. Ramsey, MPH¹, Shobha Arole, MBBS, DCBHD², Pushpa Salvi, MA-MEd², Renuka Jadhav, MSW², Pushpa Sutar, VHW², Surekha Sadafule, VHW², Rekha Pawadmal, VHW², Jayakaran S. Job, MD, DrPH¹, and Connie Gates, MPH³. (1) School of Public Health, Loma Linda University, 3343 County Rd. 301, Parachute, CO 81635, 909-754-8441, ramseynicole@hotmail.com, (2) Jamkhed, Comprehensive Rural Health Project, PO Jamkhed, Dist. Ahmednagar 413 201, Maharashtra, India, (3) Jamkhed International Foundation, PO Box 291, Carrboro, NC 27510

The Comprehensive Rural Health Project in Jamkhed, India, is a model of community-based primary health care. The Adolescent Girls Program is mainly for girls in the age group 12-18 years. The activities of the Adolescent Girls Program include: health education, personal development, group discussions about attitudes, self-defense lessons, and creative activities. The goals of the program are to help adolescent girls express their creativity, develop self-esteem, and empower them as young women. Empowering girls while providing health education and peer support from the other members of the CRHP Adolescent Girls Program is helping to empower and educate the next women and mothers in the villages. The contributing factors that have maintained gender discrimination and the low status of women in India includes: their socioeconomic class and situation, son preference, the practice of early marriage, and violence against women. This study seeks to measure the impact of change in the adolescent girls who participate in the CRHP Adolescent Girls Program. The evaluation methods include qualitative research consisting of focus groups and interviews, and quantitative research to determine changes in the adolescent girls' weight and hemoglobin levels as health indicators. Changes in equity within the household will be measured along with the adolescent girls' knowledge about nutrition, reproductive health, maternal health, hygiene, and sanitation. The empowerment of adolescent girls will be measured by their knowledge about adolescent rights in delaying the age of marriage, increased self-esteem, personal development and autonomy.

Learning Objectives:

• List 5 areas of positive change in adolescent girls who participate in community based health education in India.
• Describe the behavior changes in the adolescent girls’ families due to her empowerment.
• Apply the principles of equity, empowerment, and integration to adolescent girl health education programs.

Keywords: Adolescents, International, Community-Based Health Promotion

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

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