A Study on Knowledge and Practice of Post Menopausal Women on Health Maintenance in A Selected Rural Community of Mangalore Dakshina Kannada District, Karnataka

Introduction: Menopause is a biological certainty and universality, but every woman's experience is unique. Many of the problems can be prevented or delayed and women can continue to live active, healthy lives if proper attention is given to their health needs. Aim and Objective: To determine the knowledge and practice of post menopausal women on health maintenance. Material and methods: Eighty post-menopausal rural women were selected randomly. Cross section design was used. Knowledge on health maintenance was determined using a structured knowledge questionnaire. Breast self examination and Kegel exercise (simulated) were determined using an observation check list. Result: Seventy five percent subjects had good knowledge on health maintenance, 1.25 % had very poor knowledge. There was no association observed between knowledge score and selected demographic variables. Practice score obtained were very poor (mean % 0.48). There was positive correlation between pre-test knowledge and practice of subjects. Conclusion: Avoiding smoking excess salt, sugar, caffeine and adequate intake of calcium, vitamin D, lifestyle modification, exercises, and good awareness would keep oneself healthy in the rest of the life. Keywords: Knowledge, practice, health maintenance, post menopausal women, rural community