While our lives, today, are comfortable on many levels, modern-day lifestyles and eating patterns aren’t doing our health any favours, and can even be detrimental to health.
These days, most health awareness campaigns focus on cancer and heart disease, which are the leading causes of mortality worldwide.
In addition to this, women, have their own set of health challenges that can be debilitating to say the least. One such issue is endometriosis, affecting women in the age group of 25 to 40 across the globe.
Endometriosis is a condition in which the lining of the uterus grows abnormally. This results in medical issues arising in the female reproductive system during the menstrual cycle when the lining, which is shed every month, does not exit the body correctly.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), one in ten women is affected by endometriosis globally, and 10 percent of Indian women of reproductive age suffer from the condition.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), one in ten women is affected by endometriosis globally, and 10 percent of Indian women of reproductive age suffer from the condition.
In order to enlighten students about the ailment, its causes and solutions, Goa Institute of Management, ranked among the top 35 B-schools in India recently conducted awareness campaigns across Goa.
Over 500 college students across educational institutions in Goa, were informed about endometriosis through the GiveGoa initiative of the Goa Institute of Management (GIM), Sankhali.
The outreach initiative was part of World Endometriosis Awareness Month observed in March.
As part of the GiveGoa initiative, seven students -- Divya Singh, Jane Thomas, Aastha Asati, Lokesh Aswani, Asmita D, Piyush Balasaheb Dawkar and Sumanshu Aggarwal – attached to the Service Learning and Immersion Course, offered at the institute, gave informative presentations to students about the chronic and painful gynaecological condition and its implications.
“The sessions began by gauging the college students’ basic understanding of endometriosis, followed by a brief presentation by our students and a subsequent interactive session with the audience,” said Dr Supriya Phadnis, faculty, GIM, who works in the field of endometriosis.
The same set of questions asked at the beginning of the session was repeated at the end so as to note if the points made during the presentation were understood, added Dr Supriya.
The awareness programme was organised at the Institute of Hotel Management, Porvorim; Sridora Caculo College, Mapusa; Goa College of Home Science, Panjim; Goa College of Engineering, Ponda; and Don Bosco College, Panjim.
It was also held at ITI Farmagudi, Veling; ITI Honda Sattari, Honda; PES College of Arts and Science, Ponda; Ravi S Naik College, Ponda; Agnel Institute of Technology and Design, Assagao; Chowgule College, Margao; St Xavier’s College, Mapusa and Goa College of Pharmacy, Panjim.
“Generating awareness about endometriosis among the general public is the first step towards creating an inclusive society where diagnosis, treatment and living a good life are easy,” stated faculty, GIM, Dr Rohit Mutkekar, who provided mentorship throughout the programme.
The campaign successfully educated over 500 students about this painful chronic condition that is frequently misdiagnosed, he informed.