Health Promotion to Increase Knowledge about Puberty in Boys

Health Promotion to Increase Knowledge about Puberty in Boys Denys Putra Alim1*, Erik Jaya Gunawan1, Yohan Christian Suisan1, Raden Roro Shinta Arisanti2, and Ihyan Amri3 1 Medical Doctor Profession Study Program, School of Medicine, Universitas Ciputra Surabaya, Surabaya, Indonesia 2 Medicine Study Program, School of Medicine, Universitas Ciputra Surabaya, Surabaya, Indonesia 3 Surgery Department, Dr. Muhammad Soewandhie General Hospital, Surabaya, Indonesia * Abstract: Puberty is a normal developmental process in which a child develops into a biologically and/or sexually mature adult. Even though puberty is a natural event, it is not uncommon for children to be confused or worried about puberty. Therefore, using the Participatory Action Research Method, this community service aims to increase knowledge about puberty in boys in the Sambikerep sub-district, Surabaya. The activities include health promotion, education, and free circumcision for the children by surgeons and medical students from the School of Medicine, Universitas Ciputra Surabaya. Statistical analysis of knowledge before and after health promotion used the Wilcoxon test in SPSS version 26 with a significance limit of p < 0.05. The overall community service activities ran quite smoothly; there were 24 children who took part, with the number of children getting a pre-test score < 75 points as high as 29.2%. However, no children got a post-test score of < 75 points after the health promotion. The median score of knowledge about puberty before and after health promotion was 75 (12.5–100) and 100 (87.5–100) points, respectively (p-value <0.001). Through this community service, health promotion and education about puberty must be continuously provided to prepubertal boys so that they have a good understanding of puberty and make healthy decisions related to their sexual and emotional health. Keywords: boys; circumcision; community service; prevention; puberty © 2024 Bubungan Tinggi: Jurnal Pengabdian Masyarakat Received: 11 May 2024 Accepted: 19 June 2024 DOI : https://doi.org/10.20527/btjpm.v6i4.12428 Published: 8 November 2024 How to cite: Alim, D. P., Gunawan, E. J., Suisam, Y. C., Arisanti, R. R. S., & Amri, I. (2024). Health promotion to increase knowledge about puberty in boys. Bubungan Tinggi: Jurnal Pengabdian Masyarakat, 6 (4), 849-854. INTRODUCTION Puberty is a normal developmental stage for a child to become a sexually and biologically mature adult. The testosterone hormone influences puberty in boys and usually occurs between the ages of 12-16 years. It is characterized by significant physical growth, including the growth and development of genital organs (Ekawati et al., 2021; Hartini, 2017; Mutiara et al., 2023). In general, early puberty in boys will begin when they experience a wet dream. Although puberty is a natural Alim et al/Bubungan Tinggi: Jurnal Pengabdian Masyarakat 6 (4) 2024 849-854 phenomenon, it is not uncommon for a child to have limited understanding or knowledge about puberty. As a result, they may feel confused or disgusted when they go through puberty. Literature indicates that almost half (44.4%) of early adolescents are underinformed about puberty, while more than half (55.6%) of early teenagers are unprepared for puberty (Trisetiyaningsih et al., 2020). The major changes and uneven physical development during puberty of a teenager are different from one another, which may cause anxiety about their physical development, which in turn may affect their convictions. Factors influencing adolescent selfconcept include age, knowledge, family support, peers, and values. Bad selfconceptions can lead to many bad things, like mistrust, fear of failure, fear of success, self-humiliation, feeling stupid, worthless, pessimistic, and unworthy of success (Ahmad, 2016; Alpian et al., 2020). One way to help teenagers avoid negative selfconceptions is to offer family support and inform them about the physical changes that will take place during puberty (Agustin et al., 2022; Darmawan, 2015; Fasak & Sulastri, 2023). Teenagers typically require extensive information about the physical and emotional changes, development, and growth during puberty. However, many careless or shy parents do not even realize that their son has become a teenager, forcing him to find the information he needs by himself. Adolescents' ignorance about puberty greatly affects their attitudes and behavior during puberty. Families and surroundings that provide clear, secure, and accurate information about reproductive health can help adolescents better cope with puberty (Ardayani & Sitorus, 2022; Maharani, 2024; Muntyas, 2020). In our community partner, the issues of low education levels and inadequate sexual health knowledge significantly impact community well-being. A substantial portion of the population lacks access to comprehensive education, which extends to critical areas such as sexual health. One particularly pressing concern is the lack of access to circumcision, which, in the context of limited sexual health education, raises questions about informed consent and proper medical procedures. Many residents rely on traditional knowledge and practices due to the scarcity of formal education and resources, potentially leading to adverse health outcomes. This community service activity aims to increase pre-puberty boys' knowledge so that they understand the changes that occur during puberty and can better cope with those changes. Proper sexual education will help them understand the process, manage the changes they experience, and make healthy decisions related to their sexual and emotional health. In addition, we provide free circumcision services to the community around the School of Medicine, Universitas Ciputra Surabaya, by involving medical students to experience direct service to the community under the supervision of surgeons. This direct clinical experience for medical students provides significant benefits in honing practical skills, enhancing clinical understanding, and ensuring safe and effective patient care. METHOD The health promotion program to increase knowledge on puberty in boys was held on July 3rd, 2023, using Participatory Action Research. The participants of this program are boys aged 6-15 years old who live in the district of Sambikerep, Surabaya. This community service involves community members to identify issues in the 850 Alim et al/Bubungan Tinggi: Jurnal Pengabdian Masyarakat 6 (4) 2024 849-854 community. Also, it involves nine surgeons and several clinical students from the School of Medicine, Universitas Ciputra Surabaya, who are tasked with assisting with the various needs of the event as well as becoming assistant operators of circumcision procedures for the children under the supervision of the surgeon. This problem-solving form of community service is an action-oriented effort to promote health education and provide free circumcision activities to the community and pre-pube (...truncated)