Knowledge of Adolescents Regarding Health Implications of Body Piercing

vThe period of puberty to legal adulthood falls under the age group of 17-19, and the Transitional stage of physical and psychological development falls under this age. In a modern scenario the adolescents are aware of the different kind of piercing since it has been increasing popularity around the world. Piercing has a high potential for infectious complications such as pain, edema, prolonged bleeding, cyst, scar, or Keloid.Objectives: To assess the knowledge level of adolescents regarding health implication of body piercing and to find the association between knowledge score and demographic variables.Materials and Methods: A descriptive research design was adopted in this study. The sample consists of 92 adolescents. The study was conducted in Father Muller Medical College, Mangaluru. A Knowledge Questionnaire was used to collect the data regarding knowledge on health implication of body piercing.Result: The findings revealed that majority 52 (56.5%) of the adolescents had poor knowledge and 37 (40.2%) of them had an average knowledge on health implication of body piercing. Very few 3(3.3%) had good knowledge on health implication of body piercing. There exists no significant association of knowledge score with the selected demographic variables.Interpretation and Conclusion: The study concluded that majority of the adolescents have a general lack of knowledge about body piercing and its adverse effects; this causes an increased risk of adverse effects following body piercing. A health teaching on the health implications of body piercing will be very helpful for the young people to acquire knowledge and to practice accordingly.Key words: Body piercing, Adolescents, Health Implication, Knowledge. .