Published Paper Details:

Purpose: The study was conducted to understand the awareness and perceptions of tea pluckers of the tea garden regarding the symptoms of urinary tract infections (UTIs) according to a few demographic traits, including age, marital status, religion, and level of education. Objective: To assess the awareness and perceptions of female tea pluckers about symptomatic urinary tract infections among themselves. Methodology: The study utilized a descriptive research design, incorporating a survey method with a structured questionnaire. The questionnaire focused on demographic factors--age, marital status, religion, and educational qualifications--as independent variables. Additionally, it included statements to assess the dependent variables, namely 'awareness' and 'perception' of symptomatic urinary tract infections, using a 5-point Likert scale. A total of 617 participants were selected through stratified random sampling. The study employed statistical analyses, including the T-test, ANOVA, and Post hoc analysis using Tukey's HSD, to analyze the data and test the hypotheses. Findings: The findings of the study indicate a significant difference among groups of socio demographic factors when analyzing tea pluckers awareness of symptomatic urinary tract infections. Conversely, while examining perceptual differences regarding symptomatic urinary tract infections, significant differences were observed based on age and marital status. However, no significant differences were identified concerning religion and educational qualifications in relation to tea pluckers perception of symptomatic urinary tract infections. Research Limitations/Future Implications: Time and budget constraints, resulting in a small sample size, are among the study's limitations. Another limitation pertains to the measurement of tea pluckers' awareness and perception, as only a limited number of statements were considered. Future research could modify these measurement statements or incorporate alternative ones. Additionally, future studies may explore other socio-economic factors beyond those examined in this study. Furthermore, the study's scope is confined to a single district in the southern region of Assam.