Menstrual Hygiene Practices of Adolescent Girls in Rural Maharashtra

2021 ◽  
Vol 28 (1) ◽  
pp. 127-137
Author(s):  
Sumit Aggarwal ◽  
Deepti Ambalkar ◽  
Jayaprakasam Madhumathi ◽  
Vijay Badge ◽  
Arun Humne
Keyword(s):  
Adolescent Girls ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Cultural Beliefs ◽  
Knowledge Dissemination ◽  
Personal Interview ◽  
Menstrual Hygiene ◽  
Hygiene Practices ◽  
Sanitary Products ◽  
Sanitary Pads ◽  
The Right

Menstrual practices of adolescent girls in rural parts of India are greatly influenced by taboos and socio-cultural beliefs. In this study, the menstrual hygiene practices and beliefs of 122 adolescent girls between the ages of 13 and 19 years from rural Maharashtra were evaluated by personal interview and questionnaires. None of the girls had the right scientific knowledge about menstruation and were isolated during menstruation. They used cloth or home-made sanitary pads and were at risk of infections. There is a dire need for knowledge dissemination among school children and their families, increased awareness of menstrual hygiene and access to the requisite sanitary products in rural areas.

scholarly journals A study of menstrual hygiene and related personal hygiene practices among adolescent girls in rural Puducherry

2017 ◽  
Vol 4 (7) ◽  
pp. 2348 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hema Priya S. ◽  
Partha Nandi ◽  
Seetharaman N. ◽  
Ramya M. R. ◽  
Nishanthini N. ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Adolescent Girls ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Personal Hygiene ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Menstrual Hygiene ◽  
Hygiene Practices ◽  
Urinary Infections ◽  
Menstrual Health ◽  
Sanitary Pads ◽  
The Right

Background: Adolescent population occupies 1/5th of world’s population and in India 20.9% of the population falls into this age group. Social prohibitions and traditional beliefs blocked the access to get the right kind of information to adolescent girls that led to poor hygiene practices. These practices results in harbouring of micro-organisms that increases susceptibility to genito-urinary infections. Hence this study was conducted to study the menstrual hygiene practices among adolescent girls and in rural Puducherry.Objectives: To study the menstrual hygiene practices among adolescent girls in rural Puducherry.Methodology: A community based descriptive cross sectional study was conducted in rural field practicing area of MGMCRI, Puducherry, from 15th of March 2013 to 31st April 2014 by using semi-structured questionnaire. 528 adolescent girls were included by complete enumeration.Results: Majority (89.2%) of the adolescent girls was using sanitary pads, fresh and reusable cloths were used by 6.6% and 4.2%, respectively.  65.3% girls changed their soaked absorbent 2-5 times in a day. Majority (60.8%) of the girls disposed their used absorbent by burying or burning. 67.9% girls were washing genitalia during micturition. 54.4% used soap and water for hand cleaning purpose and 1.4% used ash & mud etc.Conclusions: Even though sanitary pad users were high, unhygienic practices were noticed, so more emphasize is needed to be given on awareness of menstrual hygiene practices among adolescent girls.Key words: Adolescent girls, menstrual health and hygiene, sanitary pads, genito-urinary illness.

scholarly journals Menstrual hygiene practices among adolescent girls in rural area of India

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (6) ◽  
pp. 3180
Author(s):  
M. Ajay Kausheic ◽  
Karthikeyan K. ◽  
Shagirunisha Rizvana A. M. ◽  
B. Ganesh Babu
Keyword(s):  
Rural Area ◽  
Adolescent Girls ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Water Hyacinth ◽  
Menstrual Hygiene ◽  
Menstrual Hygiene Management ◽  
Hygiene Practices ◽  
Bamboo Fibre ◽  
Sanitary Products ◽  
Banana Fibre

Menstruation and menstrual practices still face many social, cultural, and non secular restrictions which is an enormous barrier within the path of menstrual hygiene management. In many parts of the country especially in rural areas girls aren't prepared and aware of menstruation in order that they face many difficulties and challenges reception, schools, and work places. In rural areas, women don't have access to sanitary products or they know little about the kinds and method of using them or are unable to afford such products due to high cost. So, they mostly believe reusable cloth pads which they wash and use again. Implementation of recent techniques like incineration can help to scale back the waste. Also, awareness should be created to stress the utilization of reusable sanitary products or the natural sanitary products made up of materials like banana fibre, bamboo fibre, sea sponges, water hyacinth, and so on.

scholarly journals Menstrual Hygiene Practices among Adolescent Girls

2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (12) ◽  
pp. 364-366
Keyword(s):  
Adolescent Girls ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Menstrual Hygiene ◽  
Hygiene Practices ◽  
Cycle Plays

The menstruation cycle plays a major role in every women’s life, with this periodic cycle she undergoes a lot of stress and strains due to her mental and physiological balancing issues, because of the hormone changes. By the time of menstruation, she seeks some comfort with her, for this the sanitary napkins ran a greater part by avoiding the leakages of blood contaminant in her cloths. Some of the pads having wings or flaps that fold over the sides of underwear to protect against from leaks and stains. Also in some rural areas the women’s not much aware of maintaining the menstruation hygiene, they are using some rectangular fabric and can be washed then reused. In the hygiene part of menstruation women are unaware of determining the whole imbalance activities of maintaining cleanliness.

scholarly journals Menstrual hygiene practices among adolescent girls in a resettlement colony of Delhi: a cross-sectional study

2017 ◽  
Vol 6 (5) ◽  
pp. 1945 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shantanu Sharma ◽  
Devika Mehra ◽  
Charu Kohli ◽  
M. M. Singh
Keyword(s):  
Adolescent Girls ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Sectional Study ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Menstrual Hygiene ◽  
Multiple Strategies ◽  
Hygiene Practices ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Sanitary Pads ◽  
Age Of Menarche

Background: Menarche is an important milestone in the life of a girl which signifies the onset of fertility in a woman. To understand the health consequences and importance of menstrual hygiene practices among adolescent girls, it is important to study the current practices about the same so that future interventions can be planned accordingly.Methods: This study adopted a cross-sectional study design. A total of 85 adolescent girls (10-19 years old) were interviewed by the investigator over a period of 3 months (Jan-Mar 2015). Data were analyzed using the software SPSS version 17.Results: Out of 85 adolescent girls studied, the majority was between 15 to 19 years. In our study 71(83.5%) out of 85 adolescent girls had already started their menstruation. The mean (±SD) age of menarche in the study subjects was 11.4±5.3 years. Around 33 out of 71 (46.4%) girls practiced different restrictions during menstruation. Out of 71 (85.9%) girls used sanitary pads during menstruation. In cases of reused cloth, the place of its drying was observed, responses stated were; outside the house in sunlight in 1 (5.8%) girl, 14 (82.2%) dried them inside the house, and 2 (11.7%) girls dried them outside in a dark place.Conclusions: It is imperative to strengthen the menstrual hygiene management (MHM) programs of the country and have a greater outreach. Multiple strategies need to be used to address this such as education on reproductive health and menstruation provided in schools, media campaign’s and improving water and sanitation for improving school retention of adolescent girls and their overall health.

scholarly journals Assessment of knowledge, attitude and practice about menstruation and menstrual hygiene among adolescent girls in rural area of district Kathua, Jammu and Kashmir

2019 ◽  
Vol 6 (12) ◽  
pp. 5215 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sonika Sangra ◽  
Neha Choudhary ◽  
Wahida Kouser ◽  
Ishrat Fazal
Keyword(s):  
Adolescent Girls ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Cultural Beliefs ◽  
Sampling Technique ◽  
School Level ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Jammu And Kashmir ◽  
Menstrual Hygiene ◽  
Tract Infections

Background: Good hygiene practices are very much needed during menstrual period. Adolescent girls especially in rural areas often lack information about good menstrual hygienic practices. Cultural beliefs about menstruation like food taboos, not going to the religious places also have a negative impact on the adolescent girls in the rural areas. This study was undertaken with an aim to evaluate the knowledge, attitude and practices of adolescent girls regarding menstruation and menstrual hygiene.Methods: This cross- sectional study was conducted among adolescent girls from 8th to 12th class, from 5 schools of zone Budhi; which is a field practice area of department of community medicine, GMC Kathua; by simple random sampling technique. Out of total 323 girls, 300 girls willing to participate in the study (convenience sampling) were included. A semi- structured self- administered questionnaire was used.Results: A total of 300 adolescent girls were enrolled in the study. Majority of adolescent girls had fair to good knowledge and practice scores regarding menstruation, menstrual hygiene and its management but poor attitude scores due to some cultural taboos like restrictions in kitchen, religious places etc.Conclusions: Proper IEC activities need to be performed at school level and Anganwadi level to create awareness among adolescent girls regarding menstrual hygiene management so that they are able to make appropriate choices so that it enable them to lead a healthy life and prevent the girls from reproductive tract infections. 

scholarly journals Menstrual Hygiene Practices Among Adolescent Girls in Junior High Schools in Selected Communities of Ashanti Region, Ghana

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (8) ◽  
pp. 38
Author(s):  
Alberta David Nsemo ◽  
Idang Neji Ojong ◽  
Ramatu Agambire ◽  
Regina Adu ◽  
Mercy Dankwah
Keyword(s):  
High Schools ◽  
Adolescent Girls ◽  
Junior High ◽  
Cultural Beliefs ◽  
Lower Abdominal Pain ◽  
Ashanti Region ◽  
Menstrual Hygiene ◽  
Hygiene Practices ◽  
Validated Questionnaire ◽  
Knowledge And Practice

INTRODUCTION: Menstruation is a phenomenon unique to the females and menstrual hygiene is still a problem for adolescent girls especially in low and middle income countries particularly when attending school. This issue is insufficiently acknowledged and has not received adequate attention in the reproductive health sectors in developing countries including Ghana and its relationship with the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). OBJECTIVES: This study examined the knowledge and practices of menstrual hygiene among adolescent girls, the cultural beliefs that influence menstrual hygiene practices, and the problems adolescent girls face in practicing menstrual hygiene. METHODOLOGY: A quantitative research method using descriptive cross-sectional survey design was employed in the study. Using a multi-staged sampling technique, a sample size of 151 adolescents in Juniors High schools who had reached menarche was selected from four (4) schools located in Asamang, Sekyere south District of Ashanti region of Ghana. Data was collected through a researchers’ constructed and validated questionnaire titled “Adolescents knowledge and practice of menstrual hygiene questionnaire (AKPMHQ)”. Data was analysed using simple frequencies and percentages. RESULTS: The study revealed that 68(45%) of the girls were in the Junior High School three (JHS3) and 88(58.5%) of them ranged between 14-15 years. Most of them (74.2%) had pre-menarche education given by their family members. Most of the parents 94(62.3%) had secondary education. Majority of the girls practiced good menstrual hygiene. Their culture does not exert much influence on their knowledge and practices of menstrual hygiene. However, there were some myths which are not scientifically based. Most of the girls experience some challenges during menstruation such as lower abdominal pain 77(51.0%) and unavailability of facility in school to change during menstruation 61(40.4%). CONCLUSION: The adolescent girls are knowledgeable about menstrual hygiene and also have good menstrual hygiene practices. However, there exist few cultural practices in the community that may have negative effect on their knowledge and practice of menstrual hygiene in the midst of some physical and social challenges experienced by the adolescents during menstruation.

scholarly journals Menstrual Morbidities, Menstrual Hygiene, Cultural Practices during Menstruation, and WASH Practices at Schools in Adolescent Girls of North Karnataka, India: A Cross-Sectional Prospective Study

2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 ◽  
pp. 1-8
Author(s):  
Rajasri G. Yaliwal ◽  
Aruna M. Biradar ◽  
Shreedevi S. Kori ◽  
Subhashchandra R. Mudanur ◽  
Shivakumar U. Pujeri ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Prospective Study ◽  
Adolescent Girls ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Cultural Practices ◽  
Cultural Beliefs ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Urban Girls ◽  
Menstrual Hygiene ◽  
Awareness Programs ◽  
Cultural Functions

Background. Issues of menstrual morbidities, menstrual hygiene, and cultural practices are rarely discussed by adolescents. The burden of menstruation and cultural practices which the adolescent girls have to face has been less quantified. This study aims to assess the issues related to menstruation in school girls. Method. A cross-sectional prospective study was conducted on 1016 school-going adolescent girls in January 2020. A questionnaire in English and in Kannada was distributed to girls of class 8–12 of ages between 10 and 19 years. Results. 70.5% of the girls attained menarche by 12 to 14.9 years, 37.2% of the girls had their periods every 28–34 days, and 12.2% of the girls said they have heavy periods. 61.95% of the girls had dysmenorrheal, and 9.7% of the girls said that they required medications for the pain. 70.7% of the girls were using commercial sanitary napkins, 12.7% were using cloth, and 15.3% were using both. 55.5% of the girls who were using cloth as an absorbent were not drying the cloth in sunlight. 57.1% of the girls were washing their genitals more than 2 times a day. 93.8% were having bath during menses and 87.2% were using soap along with water. 37.7% of the girls disposed their pads by burning them, 50.8% of then disposed them in the dust bin, and 4.9% of them buried them. 8.6% of the girls said that they remained completely absent from school during periods. 17.85% said that they remained absent for a day. 53.4% of the respondents said that they have difficulty in concentrating at school. 76.1% said that they had adequate water and sanitation facilities at school. 22.3% said that there was adequate facility to change their pads at school. 73.2% said that they could get a spare pad at school. 43.3% of the girls said they avoided cultural functions during their periods, and 38.5% said that they avoided religious ceremonies and practices during their periods. 8.7% of the girls were made to sit outside the house during their periods. The girls from rural areas had poorer hygienic habits, in comparison to the urban girls. Cultural restrictions such as sitting outside the house during menstruation and restricting play were more in the rural girls than the urban girls. Conclusion. Menstrual morbidities, menstrual hygiene management, and cultural beliefs all play a role in school absenteeism in adolescent girls. Improvement of facilities at school and conducting awareness programs can help adolescent girls to attend schools.

ATTITUDE TOWARDS MYTHS AND MISCONCEPTIONS AMONG ADOLESCENT GIRLS DURING THE MENSTRUATION

2021 ◽  
pp. 42-43
Author(s):  
J. C. Kavitha Latha ◽  
R. Varalakshmi
Keyword(s):  
Adolescent Girls ◽  
Transition Period ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Adult Life ◽  
Negative Attitude ◽  
Adult Age ◽  
Hygiene Practices ◽  
Minimal Sample ◽  
High Attitude ◽  
The Right

Adolescents are dened as the young people between the age groups of 10 and 19 years as per the WHO records. Adolescence is a transition period from childhood to adult life as it is regarded as the intermediate period between the childhood age and the adult age. Menstruation occurs every month periodically except during pregnancy. The maintenance of menstrual hygienic methods is a very challenging task to the adolescent girls. Social prohibitions and traditional beliefs blocked the access to get the right kind of information to adolescent girls that led to poor hygiene practices. Menstruation has often been dealt with secrecy in many cultures. Aim: Attitude towards myths and misconceptions among adolescent girls during the menstruation. To assess the attitude regarding myths Objective: and misconceptions among adolescent girls during the menstruation. To examine the level of attitude of adolescent girls towards Myths and Misconceptions Tool: The Tool used for the present study was self structured questionnaire which was developed by the researcher. Results: Many of number of adolescent girls is having low attitude i.e., having many myths and misconceptions towards menstruation and very few sample is having high attitude which is indicating that minimal sample is not having negative attitude towards the myths and misconceptions. Sample: Sample of the present study consists of 300 adolescent girls from government vocational colleges in Chittoor District of Andhra Pradesh State. There are signicant differences between age, religion, educational quali Conclusion: cations of mother's, type of family and mode of communication among adolescent girls with regard to their attitude towards myths and misconceptions during the menstruation. There is low level of attitude towards the myths and misconceptions among adolescent girls during the menstruation

scholarly journals An epidemiological study of menstrual hygiene practices in school going adolescent girls from urban slums of Nalgonda, Telangana

2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 196
Author(s):  
Jyothi Veleshala ◽  
Varun M. Malhotra ◽  
Suresh J. Thomas ◽  
Kondagunta Nagaraj
Keyword(s):  
Adolescent Girls ◽  
Educational Status ◽  
Urban Slum ◽  
Age At Menarche ◽  
Female Teacher ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Menstrual Hygiene ◽  
School Girls ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Sanitary Pads

Background: Reproductive health of adolescent girls is crucial as it determines the health of future generations. School girls when experiencing menarche find themselves in a setting without water, toilets or a supportive female teacher to explain the changes happening in their body. Hence, the present study was conducted to assess knowledge and practices about menstruation in adolescent school girls of an urban slum and to find some socio-demographic determinants of menstrual hygiene.Methods: This was a descriptive cross-sectional study conducted among 6th to 10th class school going adolescent girls from an urban slum of Telangana state. A total of 300 girls participated.Results: The mean age of the students was 11.9±3.3 years. The mean age at menarche was 13.09 (95% CI: 12.07–14.11). 25.3% had acquired prior knowledge about attaining menarche. For majority (74.2%) the knowledge was imparted by their mothers. 96.9% of school girls used sanitary pads. Significant association observed between educational status and employment status of mother and usage of sanitary pads by respondent. Almost 90% of the young women faced physical complaints or health problems during menstruation. Majority (94.3%) had religious restrictions on them during the menstruation.Conclusions: Menstrual hygiene is an issue which needs to be addressed to all adolescents, with special emphasis in slum area. Lack of awareness is a roadblock in adopting safe and hygienic menstrual practices. More emphasis should be given on improving adolescent literacy for achieving hygienic menstrual practices.

A study on the relationship of sociocultural characteristics, menstrual hygiene practices and gynaecological problems among adolescent girls in Eastern India

2016 ◽  
Vol 29 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
Shailendra Kumar Mishra ◽  
Doyel Dasgupta ◽  
Subha Ray
Keyword(s):  
Adolescent Girls ◽  
West Bengal ◽  
Eastern India ◽  
Socioeconomic Characteristics ◽  
Urban Girls ◽  
Menstrual Hygiene ◽  
Hygiene Practices ◽  
Rural And Urban ◽  
Relationship Of ◽  
The Relationship

Abstract Objective: The present study aims to understand the relationship of socioeconomic characteristics, menstrual hygiene practices and gynaecological problems among adolescent girls residing in rural and urban areas in the state of West Bengal, India. Methods: The study was based on a sample of 715 adolescent girls from rural (325) and urban (390) areas of West Bengal, a state in Eastern India. These girls belong to the Bengali-speaking Hindu community. Data on socioeconomic characteristics, menstrual hygiene practices (such as type of absorbents used and mode of cleaning of genitals during days of menstrual discharge) and gynaecological problems were collected using pretested questionnaires. Results: Rural and urban girls differ (p<0.01) for age at menarche, menstrual hygiene practices and prevalence of gynaecological problems. Urban girls have better menstrual hygiene practices (β=0.343, p<0.01) than rural girls. A similar trend is noted for gynaecological problems (β=0.080, p<0.01) among the study participants. Apart from socioeconomic characteristics, menstrual hygiene (β=–0.121, p<0.01) remains a significant predictor of gynaecological problems. The results of path analysis also indicate that girls of higher socioeconomic status have better menstrual hygiene practices which subsequently reduce the prevalence of gynaecological problems among them. Conclusion: A concerted effort from parents, educational institutions and existing healthcare institutions along with media may ensure safe and secure reproductive health prospects for adolescents in the region.

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