Menstrual health and hygiene amongst adolescent girls and women of reproductive age: a study of practices and predictors, Odisha, India (original) (raw)
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Background- Menstruation is a major physiological change in a woman's life, but lack of knowledge, poor practices, socio-cultural barriers, poor access to products and their improper disposal have significant consequences on health, dignity and well-being of women and adolescent girls. Objectives-This study aimed to assess the knowledge and practices related to menstrual health and hygiene amongst females of 10-49 years of age; explore the experiences and challenges of women during menstruation; and identify the key predictors of healthy menstrual health and hygiene. Methods- Using a cross-sectional study design, we adopted a mixed methods approach for data collection. For quantitative household survey, a total of 921 respondents were selected from three districts of Odisha. Qualitative findings through focus group discussions and in-depth interviews supplemented the survey findings and helped to identify the barriers affecting good menstrual practices. Epi data version 2.5 and ...
International Journal of Infertility & Fetal Medicine, 2021
Background and aims and objectives: There is a substantial lacuna in the awareness of menstruation and menstrual hygiene practice among young girls and women of reproductive age. Menstruation is a normal hormonal process and the leading indicator of women's reproductive age groups' reproductive health. Inadequate knowledge about menstrual hygiene influences education practice, social activity, environment, and women's daily activities. This study evaluates women's hygiene practices in the Sitapur district among women aged 13-45 years, evaluates their knowledge of menstrual hygiene, and promotes their knowledge about menstrual hygiene. Materials and methods: This was hospital-based cross-sectional research conducted in the woman age group of 13-45 years attending Gynecology's outpatient department. A predesigned, pretested, semi-structured questionnaire has been used as a questionnaire survey. The interview process has been used for data collection and obtaining informed consent from the participants. The SPSS 20v software analyzed data. Results: The mean age of participants was 29.00 ± 9.60 years; 76.8% of participants were not aware of menstruation before attaining menarche, around 23.78% were not known about the cause of menstruation, and 75.20% source of the blood of menstruation cycle in a rural area. In the rural area, only 4.72% used only sanitary pads, and the majority of participants, 79.39%, used old clothes, whereas 75% used sanitary pads in the urban. Only water used for cleaning the external genitalia was practiced by 52.36% of rural area subjects. Meaningfully deplorable menstrual hygiene practices associated with rural participates. Conclusion: The educational and communication program for public health care focusing on menstrual hygiene must be strengthened. Educational awareness and very well programs will play a key role in implementing health education in women.
This paper investigates the factors associated with knowledge, attitudes, autonomy, and constraints in the management of menstruation in three districts of Uttar Pradesh. The paper uses data collected from 1,800 post-menarche adolescent girls under a baseline study commissioned by UNICEF in 2012 for a social and behaviour change project, called 'Girls Today, Women Tomorrow', on menstrual management. The findings suggest that about half of the girls did not have information or knowledge about menstruation. Less than one-quarter of them followed correct hygiene practices, with very few using 'sanitary napkin' as a menstrual absorbent. It was also found that 31 per cent, 20 per cent, and 24 per cent of girls felt impure, isolated, and irritated respectively during menstruation. Two-thirds of the girls reported constraints in the management of menstruation and nearly one-quarter had low autonomy during menstruation. Multivariate analyses indicated that socioeconomic characteristics, such as place of residence (district), the girl's and her mother's education, ethnicity, household occupation, economic status, exposure to mass media, and availability of private space, were significant factors influencing menstrual hygiene and autonomy in the management of menstruation.
Determinants of menstrual hygiene among the adolescent girls in a South Indian village
International Journal Of Community Medicine And Public Health, 2019
Background: Adolescent girls constitute a vulnerable group, particularly in India where female child is neglected one. Menstruation is still regarded as something unclean or dirty in Indian society. Although menstruation is a natural process, it is linked with several misconceptions and practices, which sometimes result into adverse health outcomes. Women having better knowledge regarding menstrual hygiene and safe practices are less vulnerable to reproductive tract infections and its consequences. The objective of the present study is to determine the factors affecting the existing practices of menstrual hygiene among the adolescent girls and to study the beliefs, conception and source of information regarding menstruation among the study population.Methods: A pre-tested semi-structured schedule containing information like socio-demographic factors, perceptions about menstruation, practice of menstrual hygiene, restrictions practiced during menstruation was administered to 200 adol...
2012
Background: Adolescents are often less informed, less experienced, and less comfortable accessing reproductive health information and services than adults. In many developing countries, a culture of silence surrounds the topic of menstruation and related issues; as a result many young girls lack appropriate and sufficient information regarding menstrual hygiene. This may result in incorrect and unhealthy behaviour during their menstrual period. Objectives: To assess and compare knowledge, belief, ideas, source of knowledge and practice of menstrual hygiene between school-going adolescents in an urban and a rural school of West Bengal, India. Methods: Cross-sectional, descriptive study was conducted among adolescent female students of Howrah district of West Bengal, India in the year 2011. Data was collected by pre-designed, pre-tested semi-structured self administered questionnaire. Results: The mean age at menarche was 12.1 years among urban and 12.2 years among the rural participants. More than 80% participants had some restrictions imposed during menstruation. Significantly higher number of urban girls had premenarchal knowledge on menstruation and used sanitary napkins. Conclusions: Menstrual hygiene is a vital aspect of health education for adolescent girls. For improvement of menstrual hygiene, sanitary napkins should be made universally available and affordable.
Menstrual Hygiene: Knowledge and Practice among Adolescent Girls of Rural Sabarkantha District
National Journal of Community Medicine, 2017
Introduction: Menarche is a psychological, social as well as behavioural transition for an adolescent girl from girlhood to womanhood. Menstrual hygiene is most important, still neglected area of concern. The objective of the study was to find out menstrual pattern, knowledge and practice for menstrual hygiene among adolescent girls. Method: A cross sectional study was undertaken in a rural area of Sabarkantha district. Randomly selected 250 adolescent girls were inter-viewed using predesigned pretested questionnaire. Results: It was evident that 35.6% participants were aware about menstruation before their menarche and important sources of information were mothers in 54.2% girls. 14.8% respondents used only sanitary napkin during menstruation. 83.8% changed absorbent 1 to 2 times a day. Conclusion: This study has highlighted the need of adolescent girls to have accurate and adequate information about menstruation before the menarche.
International Journal Of Community Medicine And Public Health, 2019
Background: Menstruation is still clouded by taboos and socio-cultural restrictions resulting in adolescent girls remaining ignorant of the facts of menstruation and hygienic practices, which sometimes results in adverse health outcomes. The present study was carried out to assess the knowledge and practices regarding menstrual hygiene, to find out the disorders during menstruation and to determine the factors associated with existing practices of menstrual hygiene among adolescent girlsMethods: A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted in two randomly selected urban slums of Jorhat district from March to August 2017 among 110 adolescent girls using predesigned pretested proforma. Data were analyzed using SPSS; association was determined using chi-square test with Yates correction or Fisher’s exact test, as appropriate.Results: 47.27% girls were aware about menstruation prior to menarche. Mother was the first informant in 65.38% of them. 69.09% were ignorant about the so...
Nursing Journal of India, 2019
A dolescent is a phase of rapid growth and de A A velopment during which physical, sexual and A Aemot ional changes occur. A A The period of adolescence of a girl is a period of physical and psychological preparation for safe motherhood. Almost a quarter of India's population comprises of girls below 20 years. This period is marked with onset of menarche. Menstruation is a phenomenon unique to all female although it is a natural process. Women having a better knowledge regarding menstrual hygiene and safe menstrual practices are less vulnerable to reproductive tract infections and other complications. Adolescent girls (10-19 years) constitute about a fifth of the total female population in the world. They belong to vital age group not only because they are entrant population to parenthood but also they are threshold to childhood and adulthood. Menstruation is still considered as something unclean or a dirty in Indian society. This concept is responsible for related taboos. This first menstruation is often traumatic to an adolescent girls because it usually occurs without her knowing about it. This study was conducted among 664 school girls aged 14-18 years in Mensoma, Egypt. They were asked about type of sanitary protection used, frequency of changing pads or cloths, means of disposal and bathing during menstruation. The significant predictors
Menstrual hygiene practices in young girls of urban India
International Journal of Reproduction, Contraception, Obstetrics and Gynecology, 2018
Background: Menstrual hygiene is an important aspect in the life of young girls.The present study aims at assessing the knowledge regarding menstruation and hygienic practices and perceptions during menstruation.Methods: It was a cross sectional study, conducted among 100 young girls of 20-22 years age to assess the awareness of menstrual hygiene. Data was collected by pre-tested questionnaire. Statistics was calculated in percentages.Results: Out of 100 girls, 71 (71%) knew about menstruation before menarche while 29 (29%) did not have any knowledge. 71 (71%) girls knew the cause of menstruation as physiological, 18 (18%) girls didn’t know the cause, 11 (11%) girls still believe it as curse of God. 68 (68%) girls knew the source of bleeding during menstruation as uterus, 20 (20%) girls thought it as vagina while 12 (12%) thought it as urethra. 64% girls use sanitary pads during menstruation, 19% girls used old cloth while 17% girls used new cloth during menstruation as adsorbent ma...
Menstrual Hygiene: Knowledge and Practice Among Adolescent Girls of Rural Kheda District
National Journal of Community Medicine, 2015
Background: Menarche is not just a physiological phenomenon but it is a psychological, social as well as behavioral transition for an adolescent girl from girlhood to womanhood. Menstrual hygiene is most important, still neglected area of concern. Objective of study was to find out menstrual pattern, knowledge and practice among adolescent girls. Method: A cross sectional study was undertaken in a rural area of Kheda district. Randomly selected 200 adolescent girls were inter- viewed using predesigned pretested questionnaire. Results: It was evident that 47.5% participants were aware about menstruation before their menarche and the most important sources of information were mothers in 54% girls.10.5% respond- ents used only sanitary napkin during menstruation. 77% changed absorbent 1 to 2 times a day. Conclusion: This study has highlighted the need of adolescent girls to have accurate and adequate information about menstruation