IPRC - 2015
Permanent URI for this collectionhttp://repository.kln.ac.lk/handle/123456789/156
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Item Assessment of Nutritional Status of Adolescents in Kandy district- Sri Lanka(Faculty of Graduate Studies, University of Kelaniya, 2015) Kumburegama, S.; Sharmila, K.L.H.The term adolescence is commonly used to describe the transition stage between childhood and adulthood. Although 21% of the population of Sri Lanka consists of adolescents, studies on nutritional status among this group are limited. The general objective was to assess the nutritional status of grade 11 students. The descriptive cross sectional study was carried out in grade eleven classes in government schools in type 1AB and 1C. 12 different schools were selected randomly. BMI was calculated and nutritional status was assessed using the age and sex specific BMI- percentiles growth charts and WHO cutoff marks. The prevalence of thinness (<5th percentile) was 49%, the prevalence of risk of overweight (85th -95th percentile) was 6.5%, and prevalence of overweight (>95th) was 2.1%. Boys were at higher risk of both underweight and overweight than girls. The nutritional status showed statistically significant associations with maternal education level and the number of siblings in the family. Of all the students, 32.3% were not satisfied with their current body weight and most of them were girls (39.5%). Of the students who belonged to risk of overweight category 64% were not following any weight related practices. Over half of the risk of overweight students‘ (60%) perception was that they belonged to normal weight category and 50% of overweight students assumed that their body weight is within the normal range and the other 50% assumed that they are in risk of overweight. But none of the overweight students perceived that they are overweight. Skipping breakfast was the major problem (36.7%). Under nutrition, risk of being overweight and overweight are the problems of adolescence. Awareness, health education and focused interventions are timely requirement to minimize health related problems of adolescents in Sri Lanka.Item A sociological study on puberty rites effects on self control in Sri Lankan society(Faculty of Graduate Studies, University of Kelaniya, 2015) Herath, U.; Jayarathna, N.Attain puberty is a physical and social process. It is a decisive moment of women‘s life. The girl before attain puberty is called ―Kanyawa‖ (virgin) and after it she is called ―Kanyawada‖. In that manner she has to live under socially and culturally created restrictions. The puberty rites in Sri Lankan society are given proper sexual knowledge and the self control through ―Kotahalu Yagaya‘‘ (a cultural dance which is conducted to abandon evils from newly attained girl and Kotahalu is another Sinhalese word for attain puberty). For instance the ―Gaba Uthpaththiya‖ is coming on Kotahalu yagaya has clearly revealed it. ―Thun dina athulatha rudiyara dutu thena - Kam rasa windimin satha hata leda ena In dahasaya dina daru pala dena - Min mathuwata daruwan noma upa dina‖ But present society pays less attention on this kind of traditional customs. This study attempts to identify the contribution of puberty rites on Self control and its necessity for modern society. Can puberty rites of Sri Lanka effect on Self control? Was the research problem of this study. The main objectives of this study are three fold, identify cultural value of puberty rites and its degeneration, identify the contemporary importance of rites of passage and identify the reasons for the exclusion of puberty rites from people. The proper research methodology causes to protect its accuracy and rationality. Main research methodology of this study was case study method. Interviews, participation observation were used as data collecting techniques. Books, articles, magazines were used to collect secondary data and interviews and participation observation were helped to collect primary data. The proper sexual knowledge and self control to the adolescence and society are given by puberty rites, expansion of free education, urbanization, globalization, and westernization process are directly influenced on puberty rites to degenerate from Sri Lankan Culture, Cultural practices like Yaga, Shanthi karma are gradually disappearing from society with the feeble economic strength of peasants, Low cast people like rada/Hena (who are doing Dhobi work) are not engaging with their traditional occupations can be considered the findings of this study. Conclusion: The puberty rites played major role to give a sexual knowledge and self control in a technologically poor society. But current society pays less attention to this kind of traditional customs. The puberty rites have been giving informal sexual knowledge to the young generation. Especially some restrictions are imposed by these cultural events to make self control. Finally degeneration of these cultural practices partially causes to create many social problems like unnecessary pregnancies and abortions.