*Ph.D., Scholar,
**Professor in Anthropology and Director,
The Parengi Porja (PTGs), an aboriginal population inhabiting in the Visakha agency area in Andhra Pradesh. This small vulnerable population is facing different health problems. In this article an attempt has been made to discuss the adolescent girls perceptions on the disease caused to them and remedial measures they have sought for the diseases. It was observed that the adolescent's girls who have formal education (the knowledge or training acquired only after going to schools or institutions) are aware of how to keep disease free than the adolescent girls who have no formal education. The article makes understanding of the how formal education is influencing the adolescent girls to be healthy and in maintaining personal hygiene.
The study is descriptive nature. Both the qualitative and quantitative were used to collect the empirical data. Conventional anthropological methods like observation (both participant and non-participant), schedule, interview and case study had employed to collect empirical data. Representative sampling procedure had followed in the selection of the respondents.
Of 21 adolescent girls, 8 are not affected to any of the disease in the last 12 months, in these, 5 adolescent girls are literates. These 5 adolescent girls said that they followed the teachers advices like drinking boiled water, avoiding foods infested with houseflies, maintaining personal hygiene like brushing, taking bath with soap, washing hands and legs before taking food, cutting nails wearing slippers while walking and maintaining sanitary hygiene like proper usage and disposing of sanitary pads during the menstrual times. The attempt has been made to know the reason for drop-out for not going high school level of education. The article provides, socio-economic and demographic profile, types of diseases, treatment sought and reasons for their disease caused are mentioned.
Adolescent girls, health, reasons for disease causation and treatments for disease
