Need of Expansion of Special Adolescent Clinic

Abstract

A cross sectional study has been done over a period of one year to find out the total number of young
people, adolescents and youth attending at general gynaecological OPD and special adolescent clinic and
to analyse them in terms of their sex, ethnicity, address, marital status, education, occupation and their
health problems in a teaching hospital at Kathmandu.
Of the total 2480 patients 31.29% were young people, 18.34% of them were adolescents and 30.52% of
them were youth. Male attendance was insignificant. Majority (91%) of the young people were Brahmins,
Newars and Chhetriyas. Most (91%) of them were from Kathmandu valley, 73% were already married and
60% had experienced pregnancy. Approximately 12% of these people were illiterate, 24.85% of them had
not completed the primary level education. Only 19%of them had completed the SLC examination Lack
of education, trend of early marriage has been reflected on to their occupation. 64% of them are engaged
in routine household work as housewives. Few (4.3%) of these young people were not doing anything at all.
Majority (59%) of them presented with pregnancy related problems and rest of them came for problems
like Pelvic infection, urinary tract infection, sub fertility, breast problems and others.
This study conclude that good number of young people from different parts of the country attend special
adolescent clinic with different needs. Therefore adolescent friendly services in the hospital need to be
strengthened to provide special care for them.

Key words: Young people, adolescents, youth, substance abuse, illiterate