Determinants of RTI/STI and treatment seeking behavior among currently married rural women in India

Prakash Malin, International Institute for Population Sciences (IIPS)
Akash Wankhade
Manoj Alagarajan, International Institute for Population Sciences (IIPS)

The problems of sexually transmitted infection or Reproductive tract infection among women are more serious in third world. In India RTI /STI was brought under public health under RCH-II program. The components of RTI/STI that are included under RCH program are prevention, early detection and management of lower reproductive tract infections. Several studies have shown that women in India bear the symptoms of RTIs/STIs silently without seeking health care. “District Level Household Survey-3” (DLHS-3) data is used to examine the sources of knowledge, awareness and treatment seeking behavior among currently married rural women age of 15-49 years. The survey collected information from 6,43,000 individual women. The prasent study Bivariat and multivariate techniques are used to analysis the data. Awareness of RTI/STI is 28 percent women. The women are informed about the RTI/STI from Friends, T.V and Radio (62.5, 36.1 and 21.4 percent respectively). The reported symptom of RTI/STI’s is 19 percent and vaginal discharge is common symptom (14 percent). The symptom of RTI/STI is higher among Muslim women and lower among Jains. For highest wealth quantiles prevalence and treatment seeking behaviour much batter than those belongs to lowest wealth quantiles and scheduld castes and tribes. Most of the northern states awareness, symptoms are high and treatment seeking behavior of RTI/STI is low accept Punjab. The Punjab state is showing the prevalence of RTI/STI among currently married women is low as well as knowledge and treatment seeking behavior is high. All southern states like Karnatka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh knowledge and treatment seeking behavior is much batter than northern states. It is very necessary to improve the RTI/STI service towards rural areas.