Panacea Journal of Medical Sciences

Menstrual Hygiene: Knowledge and Practice among Adolescent School Girls

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Article Type : Original Article

Author Details: Channawar Kanchan, Prasad VSV

Volume : 6

Issue : 1

Online ISSN : 2348-7682

Print ISSN : 2249-8176

Article First Page : 31

Article End Page : 33

Abstract

Menstruation is generally considered as unclean in the Indian society. Isolation of the menstruating girls and restrictions being imposed on them in the family, have reinforced a negative attitude towards this phenomenon. There is a substantial lacuna in the knowledge about menstruation among adolescent girls. Good hygienic practices such as the use of sanitary pads and adequate washing of the genital area are essential during menstruation. This cross-sectional, questionnaire-based study was carried out to assess the knowledge and the practices of menstrual hygiene among rural and urban school going adolescent girls in Sharda Vidyalaya, Hyderabad. Two hundred and sixty three adolescent girls of age 13-16 years were involved in this study. A pre-designed pre-tested semi-structured questionnaire was prepared for collection of data. Only 154 (58.5%) of the participants were aware about menstruation before menarche and the most important sources of the information were grandmothers, and friend, while sisters, mother and teachers were the other sources. Majority 226 (85.9%) of the girls were not aware of the cause of the bleeding. There are different types of restrictions which were practiced during menstruation. We concluded that the proper menstrual hygiene and correct perception can protect the women from suffering. The girls should be educated about the facts of menstruation, physiological implication, about the significance of menstruation and development of secondary sexual characters, and above all about proper hygienic practices and selection of disposable sanitary menstrual absorbent.

Keywords: Adolescent girls, Menstruation, Menstrual hygiene and practice

Doi No:-10.18231