A STUDY TO ASSESS THE KNOWLEDGE ON URINARY TRACT INFECTION REGARDING ITS PREVENTION AND MANAGEMENT AMONG THE 1ST YEAR B.SC NURSING AT SMT. NAGARATHNAMMA COLLEGE OF NURSING, BENGALURU

Good health is the fundamental right of every human being and it is essential to lead a successful life. The preamble to the WHO constitution also affirms that it is one of the fundamental rights of every human being is to enjoy The highest attainable standards of health. Moreover, emphasis is based on health promotion andpreventivehealthcare.Goodphysicalandmentalhealthofchildrenandadolescentsmakesforgoodhealth in adulthood. Agreeably, adolescence is a transitional period from dependent childhood to independent adulthood,thatis,agegroupfrom10-19years.Aboutone-fifthofIndiaspopulationisintheadolescenceage group and this is the earliest age where we can prevent morbidity in later life by means of health. According to 2022–2023-year statical data, the human body gets rid of liquid waste products through the urinary system, and so, it is important to protect this system from infections. Urinary tract infections are the secondmostcommonbacterialdiseasewhichaccountsformorethaneightmillionofficevisitsperyear.More than one lakh (1,00,000) people are hospitalized annually because of urinary tract infection and it is an importantcauseofmorbidityandmortalityinIndiansubjects.Youngageandfemalesexarethetwoimportant factors that contributes to the development of urinary tract infection and therefore it is the most common infection among adolescent girls, which distresses them, concerns their parents, and may cause permanent kidney damage, if there is any delay in treatment. According to the National Institute of Health and Clinical Excellence guidelines urinary tract infection is defined by a combination of clinical symptoms of urinary tract infection that usually include frequency, dysuria, pyuria, abdominal pain, back pain, fever, or urgency. Most urinary tract infections result from ascending infection by single gram-negative bacteria such as Escherichia coli, Klebsiella, Proteus, Enterobacter,orPseudomonas.Staphylococcalinfections,especiallyduetostaphylococcalsaprophyticus are common cause of urinary tract infection among adolescent girls. The two broad categories of urinary tract infectionarepyelonephritisorupperurinarytractinfectionandcystitisorlowerurinarytractinfection.Lower urinary tract infections are common among adolescent girls.