Journal of Clinical and Diagnostic Research, ISSN - 0973 - 709X

Users Online : 251307

AbstractMaterial and MethodsResultsDiscussionConclusionAcknowledgementReferencesTable and FiguresDOI and Others
Article in PDF How to Cite Citation Manager Readers' Comments (0) Audio Visual Article Statistics Link to PUBMED Print this Article Send to a Friend
Advertisers Access Statistics Resources

Dr Mohan Z Mani

"Thank you very much for having published my article in record time.I would like to compliment you and your entire staff for your promptness, courtesy, and willingness to be customer friendly, which is quite unusual.I was given your reference by a colleague in pathology,and was able to directly phone your editorial office for clarifications.I would particularly like to thank the publication managers and the Assistant Editor who were following up my article. I would also like to thank you for adjusting the money I paid initially into payment for my modified article,and refunding the balance.
I wish all success to your journal and look forward to sending you any suitable similar article in future"



Dr Mohan Z Mani,
Professor & Head,
Department of Dermatolgy,
Believers Church Medical College,
Thiruvalla, Kerala
On Sep 2018




Prof. Somashekhar Nimbalkar

"Over the last few years, we have published our research regularly in Journal of Clinical and Diagnostic Research. Having published in more than 20 high impact journals over the last five years including several high impact ones and reviewing articles for even more journals across my fields of interest, we value our published work in JCDR for their high standards in publishing scientific articles. The ease of submission, the rapid reviews in under a month, the high quality of their reviewers and keen attention to the final process of proofs and publication, ensure that there are no mistakes in the final article. We have been asked clarifications on several occasions and have been happy to provide them and it exemplifies the commitment to quality of the team at JCDR."



Prof. Somashekhar Nimbalkar
Head, Department of Pediatrics, Pramukhswami Medical College, Karamsad
Chairman, Research Group, Charutar Arogya Mandal, Karamsad
National Joint Coordinator - Advanced IAP NNF NRP Program
Ex-Member, Governing Body, National Neonatology Forum, New Delhi
Ex-President - National Neonatology Forum Gujarat State Chapter
Department of Pediatrics, Pramukhswami Medical College, Karamsad, Anand, Gujarat.
On Sep 2018




Dr. Kalyani R

"Journal of Clinical and Diagnostic Research is at present a well-known Indian originated scientific journal which started with a humble beginning. I have been associated with this journal since many years. I appreciate the Editor, Dr. Hemant Jain, for his constant effort in bringing up this journal to the present status right from the scratch. The journal is multidisciplinary. It encourages in publishing the scientific articles from postgraduates and also the beginners who start their career. At the same time the journal also caters for the high quality articles from specialty and super-specialty researchers. Hence it provides a platform for the scientist and researchers to publish. The other aspect of it is, the readers get the information regarding the most recent developments in science which can be used for teaching, research, treating patients and to some extent take preventive measures against certain diseases. The journal is contributing immensely to the society at national and international level."



Dr Kalyani R
Professor and Head
Department of Pathology
Sri Devaraj Urs Medical College
Sri Devaraj Urs Academy of Higher Education and Research , Kolar, Karnataka
On Sep 2018




Dr. Saumya Navit

"As a peer-reviewed journal, the Journal of Clinical and Diagnostic Research provides an opportunity to researchers, scientists and budding professionals to explore the developments in the field of medicine and dentistry and their varied specialities, thus extending our view on biological diversities of living species in relation to medicine.
‘Knowledge is treasure of a wise man.’ The free access of this journal provides an immense scope of learning for the both the old and the young in field of medicine and dentistry as well. The multidisciplinary nature of the journal makes it a better platform to absorb all that is being researched and developed. The publication process is systematic and professional. Online submission, publication and peer reviewing makes it a user-friendly journal.
As an experienced dentist and an academician, I proudly recommend this journal to the dental fraternity as a good quality open access platform for rapid communication of their cutting-edge research progress and discovery.
I wish JCDR a great success and I hope that journal will soar higher with the passing time."



Dr Saumya Navit
Professor and Head
Department of Pediatric Dentistry
Saraswati Dental College
Lucknow
On Sep 2018




Dr. Arunava Biswas

"My sincere attachment with JCDR as an author as well as reviewer is a learning experience . Their systematic approach in publication of article in various categories is really praiseworthy.
Their prompt and timely response to review's query and the manner in which they have set the reviewing process helps in extracting the best possible scientific writings for publication.
It's a honour and pride to be a part of the JCDR team. My very best wishes to JCDR and hope it will sparkle up above the sky as a high indexed journal in near future."



Dr. Arunava Biswas
MD, DM (Clinical Pharmacology)
Assistant Professor
Department of Pharmacology
Calcutta National Medical College & Hospital , Kolkata




Dr. C.S. Ramesh Babu
" Journal of Clinical and Diagnostic Research (JCDR) is a multi-specialty medical and dental journal publishing high quality research articles in almost all branches of medicine. The quality of printing of figures and tables is excellent and comparable to any International journal. An added advantage is nominal publication charges and monthly issue of the journal and more chances of an article being accepted for publication. Moreover being a multi-specialty journal an article concerning a particular specialty has a wider reach of readers of other related specialties also. As an author and reviewer for several years I find this Journal most suitable and highly recommend this Journal."
Best regards,
C.S. Ramesh Babu,
Associate Professor of Anatomy,
Muzaffarnagar Medical College,
Muzaffarnagar.
On Aug 2018




Dr. Arundhathi. S
"Journal of Clinical and Diagnostic Research (JCDR) is a reputed peer reviewed journal and is constantly involved in publishing high quality research articles related to medicine. Its been a great pleasure to be associated with this esteemed journal as a reviewer and as an author for a couple of years. The editorial board consists of many dedicated and reputed experts as its members and they are doing an appreciable work in guiding budding researchers. JCDR is doing a commendable job in scientific research by promoting excellent quality research & review articles and case reports & series. The reviewers provide appropriate suggestions that improve the quality of articles. I strongly recommend my fraternity to encourage JCDR by contributing their valuable research work in this widely accepted, user friendly journal. I hope my collaboration with JCDR will continue for a long time".



Dr. Arundhathi. S
MBBS, MD (Pathology),
Sanjay Gandhi institute of trauma and orthopedics,
Bengaluru.
On Aug 2018




Dr. Mamta Gupta,
"It gives me great pleasure to be associated with JCDR, since last 2-3 years. Since then I have authored, co-authored and reviewed about 25 articles in JCDR. I thank JCDR for giving me an opportunity to improve my own skills as an author and a reviewer.
It 's a multispecialty journal, publishing high quality articles. It gives a platform to the authors to publish their research work which can be available for everyone across the globe to read. The best thing about JCDR is that the full articles of all medical specialties are available as pdf/html for reading free of cost or without institutional subscription, which is not there for other journals. For those who have problem in writing manuscript or do statistical work, JCDR comes for their rescue.
The journal has a monthly publication and the articles are published quite fast. In time compared to other journals. The on-line first publication is also a great advantage and facility to review one's own articles before going to print. The response to any query and permission if required, is quite fast; this is quite commendable. I have a very good experience about seeking quick permission for quoting a photograph (Fig.) from a JCDR article for my chapter authored in an E book. I never thought it would be so easy. No hassles.
Reviewing articles is no less a pain staking process and requires in depth perception, knowledge about the topic for review. It requires time and concentration, yet I enjoy doing it. The JCDR website especially for the reviewers is quite user friendly. My suggestions for improving the journal is, more strict review process, so that only high quality articles are published. I find a a good number of articles in Obst. Gynae, hence, a new journal for this specialty titled JCDR-OG can be started. May be a bimonthly or quarterly publication to begin with. Only selected articles should find a place in it.
An yearly reward for the best article authored can also incentivize the authors. Though the process of finding the best article will be not be very easy. I do not know how reviewing process can be improved. If an article is being reviewed by two reviewers, then opinion of one can be communicated to the other or the final opinion of the editor can be communicated to the reviewer if requested for. This will help one’s reviewing skills.
My best wishes to Dr. Hemant Jain and all the editorial staff of JCDR for their untiring efforts to bring out this journal. I strongly recommend medical fraternity to publish their valuable research work in this esteemed journal, JCDR".



Dr. Mamta Gupta
Consultant
(Ex HOD Obs &Gynae, Hindu Rao Hospital and associated NDMC Medical College, Delhi)
Aug 2018




Dr. Rajendra Kumar Ghritlaharey

"I wish to thank Dr. Hemant Jain, Editor-in-Chief Journal of Clinical and Diagnostic Research (JCDR), for asking me to write up few words.
Writing is the representation of language in a textual medium i e; into the words and sentences on paper. Quality medical manuscript writing in particular, demands not only a high-quality research, but also requires accurate and concise communication of findings and conclusions, with adherence to particular journal guidelines. In medical field whether working in teaching, private, or in corporate institution, everyone wants to excel in his / her own field and get recognised by making manuscripts publication.


Authors are the souls of any journal, and deserve much respect. To publish a journal manuscripts are needed from authors. Authors have a great responsibility for producing facts of their work in terms of number and results truthfully and an individual honesty is expected from authors in this regards. Both ways its true "No authors-No manuscripts-No journals" and "No journals–No manuscripts–No authors". Reviewing a manuscript is also a very responsible and important task of any peer-reviewed journal and to be taken seriously. It needs knowledge on the subject, sincerity, honesty and determination. Although the process of reviewing a manuscript is a time consuming task butit is expected to give one's best remarks within the time frame of the journal.
Salient features of the JCDR: It is a biomedical, multidisciplinary (including all medical and dental specialities), e-journal, with wide scope and extensive author support. At the same time, a free text of manuscript is available in HTML and PDF format. There is fast growing authorship and readership with JCDR as this can be judged by the number of articles published in it i e; in Feb 2007 of its first issue, it contained 5 articles only, and now in its recent volume published in April 2011, it contained 67 manuscripts. This e-journal is fulfilling the commitments and objectives sincerely, (as stated by Editor-in-chief in his preface to first edition) i e; to encourage physicians through the internet, especially from the developing countries who witness a spectrum of disease and acquire a wealth of knowledge to publish their experiences to benefit the medical community in patients care. I also feel that many of us have work of substance, newer ideas, adequate clinical materials but poor in medical writing and hesitation to submit the work and need help. JCDR provides authors help in this regards.
Timely publication of journal: Publication of manuscripts and bringing out the issue in time is one of the positive aspects of JCDR and is possible with strong support team in terms of peer reviewers, proof reading, language check, computer operators, etc. This is one of the great reasons for authors to submit their work with JCDR. Another best part of JCDR is "Online first Publications" facilities available for the authors. This facility not only provides the prompt publications of the manuscripts but at the same time also early availability of the manuscripts for the readers.
Indexation and online availability: Indexation transforms the journal in some sense from its local ownership to the worldwide professional community and to the public.JCDR is indexed with Embase & EMbiology, Google Scholar, Index Copernicus, Chemical Abstracts Service, Journal seek Database, Indian Science Abstracts, to name few of them. Manuscriptspublished in JCDR are available on major search engines ie; google, yahoo, msn.
In the era of fast growing newer technologies, and in computer and internet friendly environment the manuscripts preparation, submission, review, revision, etc and all can be done and checked with a click from all corer of the world, at any time. Of course there is always a scope for improvement in every field and none is perfect. To progress, one needs to identify the areas of one's weakness and to strengthen them.
It is well said that "happy beginning is half done" and it fits perfectly with JCDR. It has grown considerably and I feel it has already grown up from its infancy to adolescence, achieving the status of standard online e-journal form Indian continent since its inception in Feb 2007. This had been made possible due to the efforts and the hard work put in it. The way the JCDR is improving with every new volume, with good quality original manuscripts, makes it a quality journal for readers. I must thank and congratulate Dr Hemant Jain, Editor-in-Chief JCDR and his team for their sincere efforts, dedication, and determination for making JCDR a fast growing journal.
Every one of us: authors, reviewers, editors, and publisher are responsible for enhancing the stature of the journal. I wish for a great success for JCDR."



Thanking you
With sincere regards
Dr. Rajendra Kumar Ghritlaharey, M.S., M. Ch., FAIS
Associate Professor,
Department of Paediatric Surgery, Gandhi Medical College & Associated
Kamla Nehru & Hamidia Hospitals Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh 462 001 (India)
E-mail: drrajendrak1@rediffmail.com
On May 11,2011




Dr. Shankar P.R.

"On looking back through my Gmail archives after being requested by the journal to write a short editorial about my experiences of publishing with the Journal of Clinical and Diagnostic Research (JCDR), I came across an e-mail from Dr. Hemant Jain, Editor, in March 2007, which introduced the new electronic journal. The main features of the journal which were outlined in the e-mail were extensive author support, cash rewards, the peer review process, and other salient features of the journal.
Over a span of over four years, we (I and my colleagues) have published around 25 articles in the journal. In this editorial, I plan to briefly discuss my experiences of publishing with JCDR and the strengths of the journal and to finally address the areas for improvement.
My experiences of publishing with JCDR: Overall, my experiences of publishing withJCDR have been positive. The best point about the journal is that it responds to queries from the author. This may seem to be simple and not too much to ask for, but unfortunately, many journals in the subcontinent and from many developing countries do not respond or they respond with a long delay to the queries from the authors 1. The reasons could be many, including lack of optimal secretarial and other support. Another problem with many journals is the slowness of the review process. Editorial processing and peer review can take anywhere between a year to two years with some journals. Also, some journals do not keep the contributors informed about the progress of the review process. Due to the long review process, the articles can lose their relevance and topicality. A major benefit with JCDR is the timeliness and promptness of its response. In Dr Jain's e-mail which was sent to me in 2007, before the introduction of the Pre-publishing system, he had stated that he had received my submission and that he would get back to me within seven days and he did!
Most of the manuscripts are published within 3 to 4 months of their submission if they are found to be suitable after the review process. JCDR is published bimonthly and the accepted articles were usually published in the next issue. Recently, due to the increased volume of the submissions, the review process has become slower and it ?? Section can take from 4 to 6 months for the articles to be reviewed. The journal has an extensive author support system and it has recently introduced a paid expedited review process. The journal also mentions the average time for processing the manuscript under different submission systems - regular submission and expedited review.
Strengths of the journal: The journal has an online first facility in which the accepted manuscripts may be published on the website before being included in a regular issue of the journal. This cuts down the time between their acceptance and the publication. The journal is indexed in many databases, though not in PubMed. The editorial board should now take steps to index the journal in PubMed. The journal has a system of notifying readers through e-mail when a new issue is released. Also, the articles are available in both the HTML and the PDF formats. I especially like the new and colorful page format of the journal. Also, the access statistics of the articles are available. The prepublication and the manuscript tracking system are also helpful for the authors.
Areas for improvement: In certain cases, I felt that the peer review process of the manuscripts was not up to international standards and that it should be strengthened. Also, the number of manuscripts in an issue is high and it may be difficult for readers to go through all of them. The journal can consider tightening of the peer review process and increasing the quality standards for the acceptance of the manuscripts. I faced occasional problems with the online manuscript submission (Pre-publishing) system, which have to be addressed.
Overall, the publishing process with JCDR has been smooth, quick and relatively hassle free and I can recommend other authors to consider the journal as an outlet for their work."



Dr. P. Ravi Shankar
KIST Medical College, P.O. Box 14142, Kathmandu, Nepal.
E-mail: ravi.dr.shankar@gmail.com
On April 2011
Anuradha

Dear team JCDR, I would like to thank you for the very professional and polite service provided by everyone at JCDR. While i have been in the field of writing and editing for sometime, this has been my first attempt in publishing a scientific paper.Thank you for hand-holding me through the process.


Dr. Anuradha
E-mail: anuradha2nittur@gmail.com
On Jan 2020

Important Notice

Original article / research
Year : 2011 | Month : November | Volume : 5 | Issue : 7 | Page : 1430 - 1432 Full Version

Awareness Regarding Gender Preference and Female Foeticide among Teachers in the Hassan District, South India


Published: November 1, 2011 | DOI: https://doi.org/10.7860/JCDR/2011/.1675
Siddharam S. Metri, Venktesh G.M.
Correspondence Address :
Dr. Siddharam S. Metri
E-mail: sagarmetri@yahoo.co.in

Abstract

Objective: To assess the Knowledge, Attitude and Practice regarding gender preference and female feticide among teachers population in Hassan.
Methodology: A cross sectional, Community based, Descriptive study was undertaken. Study was carried for 3 months (February to May). Total 127 participants were interviewed with the help of predesigned, semi-structure proforma. Data was analyzed in terms of proportions.
Results: Out of 127 participants, 73% said that Ultrasound is the technique for Pre Natal Sex Determination Test (PNDT). 80% said that Private hospital is the area for sex determination test. While asked reasons for son preference, 38.5% said they carries the name of the family, 27.5% said that source of income or dowry. 52% of them aware regarding PNDT Act. 90% have got the information regarding female feticide and gender preference from the media.
Conclusion: Majority of them aware about female feticide and harmful practices should be stopped.

Keywords

Female feticide, Gender preference and Teachers.

Introduction
2011 December, Vol-5(6): 000-000 1 Awareness Regarding Gender Preference and Female Foeticide among Teachers in the Hassan District, South India ABSTRACT Objective: To assess the Knowledge, Attitude and Practice regarding gender preference and female feticide among teachers population in Hassan. Methodology: A cross sectional, Community based, Descriptive study was undertaken. Study was carried for 3 months (February to May). Total 127 participants were interviewed with the help of predesigned, semi-structure proforma. Data was analyzed in terms of proportions. Results: Out of 127 participants, 73% said that Ultrasound is the technique for Pre Natal Sex Determination Test (PNDT). 80% said that Private hospital is the area for sex determination test. While asked reasons for son preference, 38.5% said they carries the name of the family, 27.5% said that source of income or dowry. 52% of them aware regarding PNDT Act. 90% have got the information regarding female feticide and gender preference from the media. Conclusion: Majority of them aware about female feticide and harmful practices should be stopped. Siddharam S. Metri, Venktesh G.M. Community Section Introduction A sloka of Atharvaveda says “The birth of a girl, grant it elsewhere. Here, grant a son.” Thousands of years later, this thing stands very true in modern times as well, when, despite the so called modernity, industrialization, literacy and equality, parents still pray thus (1). The constitution of India guarantees equality for women. It has empowered the state to adopt measures for affirmative discrimination in favour of women and it has imposed a fundamental duty on its citizens to uphold the dignity of women. The preference for sons or more number of sons than daughters has been documented in several countries in the world (2). Particularly in India, the preference for a son is very strong and pervasive and it has been frequently cited as one of the major obstacles in the way of reducing the national fertility level (3). The preference for a male child and discrimination against the female child are causing the rapid disappearance of female children in India. 35 million females were found to be missing according to the census of 2001, which was 32 million during 1991. As per the census of 2011, the child sex ratio of India has declined from 927 to 914 females per 1000 males, which is the lowest since the country’s independence. Female foeticide is one of the extreme manifestations of violence against women-a social problem that is now spreading unchecked across the country. Female foetuses are selectively being aborted after pre-natal sex determination, thus denying a girl’s ‘RIGHT TO LIFE’. Ultrasonography is being used as a non-invasive technique for sex determination, even in remote areas and even quacks has access to them. In 1994, the Government of India enacted the PNDT (Pre Natal Diagnostic Techniques) Act, that made revealing the sex of the foetus a criminal offence. The need of the hour is to stress upon other avenues or alternatives that can strengthen the law and can bring about the desired social change. One such alternative to increase the awareness in the community about female foeticide, so that people can identify it as a social problem and caninformation in the society and to the future population and they can help in maintaining the gender equality further try to curb it. Teachers play a major role in disseminating this

Material and Methods

A cross sectional, community based, descriptive study was undertaken with 127 participants from various schools and colleges of Hassan District, Karnataka, south India. The study was carried out from 1st February to 30th May 2011 (3 months). Three out of 38 high schools and 3 out of 30 degree colleges were selected by using a lottery method. The teachers were selected randomly and they were interviewed. We excluded the participants who did not give their consent. A pretested and pre-structured questionnaire was used to collect the information on their knowledge, attitude and practice towards gender preference and female foeticide. The variables in the questionnaire included evaluation of the knowledge on PNDT, the possibility of intrauterine sex determination and methods and awareness about the punishment which was associated with female foeticide. A written consent was taken from the participants before they filled the questionnaire. The data was collected with the help of MBBS, Final Phase, Part-I students. A pilot study was conducted and the necessary corrections were done for the questionnaire. Cross checking of the filled proforma was done randomly by the investigators on a regular basis to ensure good quality data collection. The data was entered in Microsoft Excel and analyzed by using proportions.

Results

A total of 127 teachers were selected from various schools and colleges of Hassan city. Among these, 77 teachers were from predegree colleges and 50 teachers were from degree colleges. Out of these 127 participants, 56 were males and 71 were females, 47 were graduates and 80 were post graduates and 93 were married and 34 were unmarried. 100% of the study participants were awaretechniques which were used for the Pre Natal Sex Determination Test (PNDT), 73% said that ultrasound was the right modality and 19% said that they didn’t know (Table/Fig 1). 80% of the participants said that private hospitals were the centres for sex determination [Table/Fig 1a]. Regarding the reasons for the preference for a son [Table/Fig 1b], a maximum number of participants (38.5%) felt that sons were preferred as they could carry the name of the family forward, 19.6% felt that they could take care of the family and the parents, 27.5% of them considered sons as source of income and dowry and the remaining 14% thought that they could perform the last rites of the dead. Regarding the non-preference of girls, a maximum number of teachers (51%) felt that girls were not preferred because of the burden of dowry, 35% of them thought that they were a burden on the family and 9.4% thought that they could not take care of the family. 3.9% were of the opinion that they needed more care and safety. When the participants were asked about the attitude of the family towards having only a girl child, 62% of them felt that it made no difference and 30% felt that it would bring them luck [Table/Fig 1c]. When the participants were asked about the punishment for female foeticide, 53% of them said that they were aware of it and 47% said that they didn’t know [Table/ Fig 1d]. When they were asked about the influence of the family members on women in undergoing PNDT/abortion, 65% of them said that the mother- in -laws could force for abortions, 18% said that husbands could force for it, 12% said that the women could themselves decide to undergo it and 4.7% said that father- inlaws could force for it [Table/Fig 1e]. Regarding their opinion about knowing the sex of the foetus before birth, 81% of them said that it was unacceptable and only 24 (19%) said that it was acceptable.(Table/Fig 2) Twenty four participants said that they would practice sex determination before birth and among them, 10 (42%) said that they would accept any child, 9(37%) said that they would prefer 1 girl child and 5(21%) said that they would prefer 2 or more girl children. Regarding the source of information, it was seen that 90% of them got the information about female foeticide from the mass media. (Table/Fig 3),(Table/Fig 4)

Discussion

All the participants are aware about female foeticide. In the study which was done by Walia (4) among adult populations in three districts of Punjab which had a low sex ratio i.e. Ludhiana, Bhatinda and Ferozpur, though the awareness regarding female foeticide was found to be very high, yet a majority of the respondents approved this heinous act. In the present study, when they were asked regarding the various techniques which were used for prenatal sex determination, 73% participants said that ultrasound was the right modality, 6% said that it was amniocentesis and 19% said that they didn’t know about the techniques. A study which was conducted by S. Ghose and S. Sarkar (5) found that 95% of the pregnant women were aware of the availability of a method for intrauterine sex determination. When they were asked whether female foeticide was punishable, 53% of the participants said that they were aware that doing so was punishable under the law and 47% said that they were not aware of it. In a study from Chandigarh, 65% of the pregnant women were found to consider that determining the sex of an unborn child was a crime, but only 16% were aware that it was punishable under the law (6). In the present study, 38.5% participants cited carrying the name of the family as the main reason for the preference for a son, whereas another 27.5% were of the view that in addition to carrying the name of the family, the sons were the sources of income and dowry. A study which was conducted by MOHFW (7) in 2002 among 530 adult respondents in Delhi also observed that the reasons for the preference for sons were that they could carry on the family name and inherit property and that they could be providers in old age and could perform the last rites of the dead. A majority of the study subjects (51%) were of the opinion that a girl child was not preferred because of the dowry system, 35% thought that they were a burden for the family and 9.4% were of the opinion that they could not take care of the parents. As per a study which was done by NIPCCD (8) in 2008 in Delhi and Haryana, dowry was perceived as the main reason for the respondents not preferring a girl child. In the present study, when the participants were asked their opinion about knowing the sex of the foetus before birth, 24 (19%) of them said that it was necessary. Among them, 42% said that they would prefer the sex determination to be done anytime before the birth of the child, 37% said that they will go for the sex determination after having 1 girl child and 21% participants said that they would prefer it to be done after having 2 or more girl children. A study which was done by Indira and Ramendra Narayan Chaudhuri (9) showed that 53.8% of the mothers preferred one son and one daughter and 32.7% of the mothers desired more sons than daughters, while only 3.8% of the mothers wanted more daughters than sons. In the present study, 90% of the participants said that they got the information about female foeticide from the mass media, 8% said that they got it from neighbours and 6% said that they got it from friends. In a study which was done by Anurag Chaudhwary et al (10) showed that 56% of the students got the information about female foeticide from the television, 33.2% got it from the newspapers and that 6.3% and 4.5% got information from family and friends, respectively

Conclusion

In the present study, all the participants were aware about female foeticide. A majority had good (73%) knowledge about the techniques which were used for PNDT. 80% of the participants knew about the sex determination centres. A disparity between boys and girls was prevalent at the family or the community level. In the present study, it was found that 65% of the mother- in- laws influenced the women to undergo PNDT and abortion. So, there is a need to create awareness among the mother-in-laws regarding female foeticide and the punishment which is associated with it. The sample size in our study was 127 and it may not be adequate for generalization of the results. The findings in present study underscored the need to sensitize teachers about the ethics which were related to the inappropriate and indiscriminate use of technology.

Acknowledgement

The authors would like to thank Miss Navyashree N, Chaitra M.P and Mythreyi M.U. , Final Year MBBS students for their role in the data collection.

References

1.
Audio-Visual Review. Born female, Produced by UNICEF Regional Office for South Central Asia. Govt. of India. Directed by Nilanjana Mukherjee 1985. Indian J Social Work 1991; 52: 115-17.
2.
Cleland JG, Verrall J and Vaessan M. 1983. Preference for the sex of children and their influences on Reproductive Behavior World Fertility Survey: Comparative Studies, No.27, International Statistical Institute, Voorburg, Netherlands.
3.
Rajarethanm T. and Desphande RV. (1994). Gender Preference and India’s Missing Girls: Evidence from same selected states of India; Population Association of America, Boston, USA.
4.
Ajinder Walia. Female feticide in Punjab: Exploring the socio-economic and cultural dimensions. Idea Journal, 2005, Vol. No.10
5.
S. Ghose and S. Sarkar: Knowledge and Attitude of Prenatal Diagnostic Techniques Act Among the Antenatal Women- A Hospital Based Study. Journal of Community Medicine, January 2009, Vol. No.5(1).
6.
S Puri, V. Bhatia, HM Swami. Gender Preference and Awareness Regarding Sex Determination among Married Women in slums of Chandigarh. Indian Journal of Community Medicine, Vol. No.32. No.1(2007-01-2007-03).
7.
India, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and third world centre for comparative studies. Missing Girls: A study of declining sex ratio in the age group of 0-6 years { A case study of Delhi}. New Delhi: 2002. P.160.
8.
National Institute of Public Cooperation and Child Development. A socio-cultural study of the declining sex ratio in Delhi and Haryana: 2008. Available from http://www.nipccd.nic.in.
9.
Indira Dey (Pal) and Ramendra Narayan Chaudhuri. Gender Preference and its Implication on Reproductive Behavior of Mothers in a Rural Area of West Bengal. Indian Journal of Community Medicine. Vol. No.34/ Issue 1/ Jan. 09.
10.
Anurag Chaudhary, Mahesh Satija, Sarit Sharma, GPI Singh, RK Soni, RK Sachar. Awareness and Perception of School Children about Female Feticide in Urban Ludhiana. Indian Journal of Community Medicine/Vol 35/Issue 2/ April 2010.

DOI and Others

JCDR/2011/1675

JCDR is now Monthly and more widely Indexed .
  • Emerging Sources Citation Index (Web of Science, thomsonreuters)
  • Index Copernicus ICV 2017: 134.54
  • Academic Search Complete Database
  • Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ)
  • Embase
  • EBSCOhost
  • Google Scholar
  • HINARI Access to Research in Health Programme
  • Indian Science Abstracts (ISA)
  • Journal seek Database
  • Google
  • Popline (reproductive health literature)
  • www.omnimedicalsearch.com