Aparajita Gogoi, Vandana Nair, Shikha Bhasin* and Mercy Manoranjini

Centre for Catalyzing Change, India

*Corresponding Author: Shikha Bhasin, Centre for Catalyzing Change, India.

Received: September 10, 2026; Published: October 14, 2026

Background: Gender disparities, limited digital access, and socio-cultural taboos continue to constrain adolescent girls’ access to education, digital literacy, and sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) information in rural India. This study assesses the impact of a multi-component intervention combining digital literacy and adolescent health education among rural adolescent girls in Gumla district, Jharkhand.

Method: A quasi experimental non-equivalent control group design was employed using quantitative surveys conducted pre (2021) and post (2022) intervention across selected intervention and non-intervention blocks. 450 adolescent girls (12–19 years) were selected using multistage probability proportional to size sampling. The intervention implemented through schools and Anganwadi centres, focused on improving digital navigation skills, cyber safety awareness, and SRHR knowledge, alongside life skills and empowerment training. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics and chi-square tests to assess changes over time and between groups.

Results: Findings indicate significant improvements among the intervention group in mobile and internet use for health information (10% to 47%) and awareness of cyberbullying. Increases were observed in SRHR knowledge, including pregnancy processes (38% to 87%), condom awareness (36% to 89%), HIV/AIDS (26% to 70%), anaemia (62% to 98%), and legal age of consent (3% to 34%). Adolescent Health Day participation increased from 30% to 70%, Adolescent Friendly Health Clinics, awareness (30% to 87%), also increased.

Conclusion: Integrating digital literacy with structured adolescent health education can overcome socio-cultural barriers to information access, leading to enhanced SRHR knowledge, digital agency, and service utilization among rural adolescent girls.

Keywords: Adolescent Girls; Digital Literacy; Sexual and Reproductive Health; HIV/AIDS Knowledge; Health Seeking

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Citation

Citation: Shikha Bhasin., et al. “Impact of a Scalable Digital Platform on Digital and Sexual and Reproductive Health Literacy Among Rural Adolescent Girls in Jharkhand, India: A Quasi-Experimental Study". Acta Scientific Medical Sciences 10.11 (2026): 14-26.

Copyright

Copyright: © 2026 Shikha Bhasin., et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.