The Effect of Living in Orphanage and Educational Counseling on uberty Health Among Female Adolescents Living in Welfare Centers: An interventional Study

AbstractBackground: Adolescents living in orphanages are at risk of health problems. The current study aimed to determine the effect ofliving in an orphanage and educational counseling on puberty health of female adolescents living in welfare centers.Methods: This study contained two stages. In the first stage, a cross-sectional study was conducted among ۴۱۶ students living inwelfare centers (۱۰-۱۴ years of age). In the second stage, ۶۰ orphans (۳۰ in the control group and ۳۰ in the intervention group)participated in the interventional study. The intervention group received five two-hour sessions of educational counseling oncea week. Pre-test and post-test were performed using a researcher-made questionnaire. The data were analyzed in SPSS ۱۸ usingthe Mann-Whitney U, chi-square, Wilcoxon, and Kolmogorov–Smirnov tests.Results: The cross-sectional study results indicated that the knowledge of orphans was lower (P < ۰.۰۰۱), but their attitudes andpractices were higher (P < ۰.۰۰۱) than others. The trial study results demonstrated that in the intervention group, there was asignificant difference (P < ۰.۰۰۱) in the mean difference of the puberty health score before and after the intervention.Conclusion: Educational counseling is recommended to improve the level of puberty among female adolescents.

کلیدواژه ها:

Social welfare ، Health ، counseling ، Puberty ، Adolescent