scholarly journals Menstrual Hygiene Management Practice among Adolescent Girls: An Urban-Rural Comparative Study in Rajshahi Division, Bangladesh

Author(s):  
Md. Abu Tal Ha ◽  
Md. Zakiul Alam

Abstract Introduction:Adolescence is a critical period characterized by significant physical, emotional, cognitive and social changes, and monthly occurrence of menstruation of adolescent girls. Despite being an inevitable natural event, most of the societies consider menstruation and menstrual blood as taboo and impure that prevents many adolescent girls from proper education and information which force them to develop their ways of managing the event. In this study, we attempted to explore the pattern of menstrual hygiene management practice, the urban-rural differences of the practice, and the determinants of the practice among adolescent girls in Rajshahi division, Bangladesh.Methodology:Using a cross-sectional study design with systematic random sampling, we collected data from 589 adolescent girls (aged 14–19 years) from Rajshahi division of Bangladesh. We employed bivariate and multinomial logistic regression analysis.Findings:We found significant differences in menstrual hygiene management practice among adolescent girls between urban and rural areas. Only 37.9% continuously used sanitary pad. Among the cloth users, nearly two-third reused cloths and about 56% of them used water and soap to wash these cloths. About 49% changed menstrual absorbent and 44% washed their genitalia three times a day. About 41% used water only to wash genitalia, and 55% buried sanitary materials under soil after using. Around 22% of the girls practiced terrible, 63.3% fair, and 14.7% proper menstrual management. Multinomial logistic regression found that the place of residence, family size, wealth quintile, parents’ education, and social connectivity was the significant determinant of menstrual hygiene management practice.Conclusion:Although there are some cases of sanitary pad use, still menstrual hygiene management is unhealthy in most cases. The continuous flow of sanitary pads at affordable cost, change in existing social norms about menstruation and proper education, information and services are essential for achieving health-related SDG goals.

Author(s):  
Zainab Khan ◽  
Siraj Ahmad ◽  
Jai Vir Singh ◽  
Akhilesh Dutta Dwivedi

Background: There is inadequate information on menstrual hygiene management practices and socio-cultural restrictions among adolescent girls in developing countries. The objective of the present study was to assess the menstrual hygiene management practices and associated socio-cultural restrictions among adolescent school girls.Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out among adolescent school girls 10 to 19 years of age, who had attained menarche, in a rural area of district Barabanki. Total 640 adolescent girls were included in the study, and information was recorded on a predesigned and pretested interview schedule. Relevant statistical analysis was done and significant associations were found.Results: 60.5% of the girls were using sanitary pads, and 71.4% took bath during their periods. 41.3% of the girls used to change pads during schools. Unsatisfactory menstrual hygiene management practices were significantly high among girls who were from lower socioeconomic class (p<0.001) and had illiterate mothers (p<0.001). 82.8% of the girls faced religious restriction.Conclusions: Significant associations were found between menstrual hygiene management practices of adolescent school girls with their mother’s education level and socio economic status. A proper menstrual hygiene management practice is very important for every young girl to lead a healthy life and should be achieved at the beginning of their menarche by enhanced information education and communication (IEC) programmes.


2020 ◽  
Vol 32 (1) ◽  
pp. 120-123
Author(s):  
Shallu Garg ◽  
Anu Bhardwaj ◽  
Anshu Mittal ◽  
Suresh Bhonsla

Background: Adolescent girls often lack knowledge regarding reproductive health including menstruation hygiene. Poor menstrual hygiene can be a precursor reproductive tract infections and even cancer cervix. Objectives: To study the menstrual hygiene management among rural and urban school going adolescent girls Material and Methods: A community based cross sectional study was conducted among 420 adolescent girls (10 - 19 years). A self-designed semi- structured questionnaire was used to study the knowledge and practise regarding menstrual hygiene. Results: Knowledge about menstruation before attainment of menarche was 69% in urban and 58.9% in rural. Mother was the main source of information. Still 23.6% girls were using cloth or towels as menstrual absorbent, and 26.6% girls in rural area were washing their menstrual absorbent to be reused.91.7% and 81% girls had some restriction during menstruation Conclusion:  Awareness in urban adolescent girls was more in comparison to rural girls. The usage of sanitary pads was similar in both rural and urban areas. Menstrual hygiene was better in urban than rural areas. It is imperative that adolescent girls be educated about the, significance of menstruation, and proper hygienic practices during menstruation. Sex education in school curriculum can help in resolving misconceptions about menstruation.


2021 ◽  
Vol 2 (Issue 3) ◽  
pp. 107-115
Author(s):  
Renata Magayane ◽  
Jackson Meremo

The study aimed at examining menstrual hygiene management practices among adolescent girls in public secondary schools in Kibondo District. The study used the mixed research approach with the convergent parallel design. The study was comprised of the sample size of 99 respondents from four out of 17 schools, including ten parents, 12 female teachers, 68 students, 4 matrons, 4 Heads of schools and 1 District Education Officer. Data collection was done through semi-structured interview, focus group discussion and questionnaire. Qualitative data analysis was done through content analysis while quantitative data were analyzed descriptively with the help of the Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) version 20 and presented in tables through percentages, and frequencies. The study discovered that there are problems in MHM practices among public secondary schools under investigation. There were shortages of menstrual hygiene management practice facilities such as toilets and private areas to change absorbent pads, disposable mechanisms and water. The study recommended that adolescent girls should be provided with sanitary pads and education. There is need to improve MHM facilities such as water, disposable mechanisms and private rooms for changing absorbent materials for effective management of menstrual periods. Menstrual hygiene management topics should be integrated into the syllabi in order to increase awareness on MHM to adolescent girls. Teachers and health workers should closely provide guidance and health talks to adolescent girls, advising them on how to manage their menstrual-related illness effectively for their good performance in school.


Author(s):  
Nwe Nwe Htun ◽  
Orapin Laosee ◽  
Cheerawit Rattanapan

Objective: The study assessed the underlying factors that influence menstrual hygiene management (MHM) in adolescent girls, and how it can have an effect on the girls’ education, health and daily life.Material and Methods: A community-based, quantitative cross-sectional study was conducted through face-to-face interviews, with 410 adolescent girls. Descriptive statistics, chi-square, bivariate and multivariate logistic regression were applied, to describe and predict significant associations and predictors between MHM and its independent variables; such as knowledge, attitudes and practices related to menstruation, and accessibility of MHM facilities.Results: More than half of the respondents had poor MHM levels. Menstrual knowledge [adjusted odds ratio (AOR)= 2.17, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.32-3.56], attitude towards menstruation (AOR=1.65, 95% CI: 1.11-2.46), menstrual hygiene practices (AOR=2.53, 1.78-3.98) and the accessibility of MHM facilities (AOR=2.44, 95% CI: 1.29-4.62) were the factors associated with MHM. Girls with poor MHM levels were 1.1 times more likely to be affected in their daily activities, as compared to those with good MHM levels.Conclusion: The adolescent girls participating in the study were still unable to manage their menstrual hygiene well, owing to their inadequate knowledge in relation to menstruation, unhealthy menstrual hygiene practices; and the limited accessibility to MHM facilities. Establishment of such correlation necessitates; for instance, setting up a menstrual health education program as well as provision of MHM facilities, will enable the adolescent girls in Mudon Township, Mon State, Myanmar to minimize the negative impacts on their daily lives.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Seifadin Ahmed Shallo ◽  
Wakeshi Willi ◽  
Abuzumeran Abubekar

I.AbstractBackgroundThough menstruation is normal physiology in the females’ life, if not managed safely, it can interrupt daily activity or it may lead to health problems. Poor water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) facilities in schools, inadequate puberty education and lack of hygienic menstrual hygiene management items (absorbents) cause girls to experience menstruation as shameful and uncomfortable. This study aimed to assess the extent of unsafe menstrual hygiene practice and factors influencing it among school females in Ambo, Ethiopia.Methodsan institutional-based mixed-method cross-sectional study was conducted from March 01 to 15/2018 to collect data from 364 school females, teachers, and investigators observation. To collect the data, self-administered technique, interview, observational and FGD techniques were used. Data were analyzed using SPSS statistical software version 20. Uni-variate, bivariate and multiple logistic regression analysis were done. With 95% CI, the P-value of less than 0.05 was taken as the level of significance.Resultsthe prevalence of the unsafe menstrual hygiene management practice was 53.6%, which implies urgent response from the stakeholders is of paramount importance. Factors such as the age of the females, frequency of discussing menses with mothers and source of information about menses were variables significantly associated with menstrual hygiene management practice.Conclusion and RecommendationHigh numbers of school females’ menstrual hygiene management were poorly managed. This implies urgent measure is needed from the stakeholders to solve these problems so that sustainable development goal number 3, 4 and 5 will be achieved. To rid off the current problems which school females are facing, comprehensive and different sectors collaboration is important. Specifically, education sectors, water and sanitation sectors, and health sectors bear the frontline responsibilities.


Author(s):  
Koshish Raj Gautam ◽  
Harsha Raj Dahal ◽  
Kshitij Karki ◽  
Shradha Acharya ◽  
Suraksha Subedi ◽  
...  

Background: Good menstrual hygiene is fundamental to health, hygiene and well-being of women and girls. As menstruation itself considered as taboo in Nepalese society, it has direct impacts on the health of the women and adolescent. The objective of the study is to assess the knowledge and practices regarding menstrual hygiene management among adolescent girls.Methods: A cross- sectional study design was conducted among 398 samples. Simple random sampling was done to select the resource center schools and probability proportionate sampling (PPS) technique used to get sample size. Structured interview schedule is used to collect data and analysed from SPSS software after validation.Results: Knowledge on menstrual hygiene management was good in urban adolescent girls (93.69%) as compared to rural (6.31%). Similarly, level of practice was good regarding menstrual hygiene management was good in urban adolescent girls (91.29%) as compared to rural (8.71%). Place of the residence and knowledge level of the adolescent girls was highly significant (p<0.001).Conclusions: The findings showed that rural adolescent girls had poor knowledge, various misconceptions and inadequate practices regarding menstrual hygiene management.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Shagoofa Rakhshanda ◽  
Sahlil Ahmed ◽  
Samuel Saidu ◽  
Christine Nderitu ◽  
Basanta Thapa ◽  
...  

Purpose About half of the 16% adolescents in the world experience menstruation. Menstrual hygiene management (MHM) is a health concern and challenge especially in humanitarian situations as experienced by Myanmar Rohingya refugees living in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh. This study aims to assess knowledge, practice and influencing factors for MHM among Rohingya refugee adolescent girls of 14–18 years. Design/methodology/approach The study used both quantitative (a cross-sectional survey with 340 adolescent girls through a structured questionnaire) and qualitative (7 in-depth interviews with adolescent girls and 2 focus group discussions with the mothers) approaches. Quantitative data, analyzed using STATA version 13.0, were supported by qualitative data, grouped into themes and presented as matrix. Findings Around 51% adolescent girls learned about menstruation after menarche, at the mean age of 12 years, from their mothers and older sisters. About 75% used sanitary pads as absorbents which they got mostly as relief material or bought from local stores (83%); the rest used cloths and other materials (25%). About 57% of the respondents disposed of their absorbent by burying. Those who used reusable absorbents washed them with soap and water (40%) and mostly dried them indoors (17%). Factors influencing healthy MHM practice included the use of absorbent, privacy, disposal, washing and drying of clothes, physical activities, hygiene and pain management. Adolescents with secondary or higher education were four times more likely to have better MHM practice (odds ratio = 4.27; confidence interval = 1.19–15.31) than those with no formal schooling. Originality/value This paper is based on a research undertaken as part of academic requirement.


2020 ◽  
Vol 2 (4) ◽  
pp. 1-6
Author(s):  
Augustus Osborne ◽  
◽  
Bashiru Mohamed Koroma ◽  
Camilla M Bangura ◽  
◽  
...  

Menstruation can place significant impacts on girl’s health and education if they are not properly informed about effective menstrual hygiene management. The present study was undertaken to assess the knowledge and practices of menstrual hygiene among adolescent girls in five schools in Bo district, Sierra Leone and to assess the restrictions practiced by them during menstruation. A cross sectional study design was carried out among 103 in November 2019. A self-administered structured questionnaire at schools was used for data collection. Data was collected regarding their knowledge about menstruation, from where they get information and practices followed to maintain menstrual hygiene, problems faced while attending school during menstruation and facilities available in school, etc. The analysis part was done with the help of SPSS version 25. Age of respondents varied between 12-21 years with the mean age of 16.5. 69.9% of the girls don’t know from were menstrual bleeding occurs. Majority of the girls are using sanitary pads as absorbent during menstruation. 42.7% of the girls said they have been restricted from praying when seeing their menses and 49.5% of the girls said they feel their school is uncomfortable to keep hygiene during menstruation. The findings led to the conclusion that the girls have deficient knowledge and inadequate practices regarding menstruation and its management.


Author(s):  
Pradeep Senapathi ◽  
Hemant Kumar

Background: Menstruation is a completely normal biological process. Yet women and girls, the world over, face numerous challenges and taboos which often portray them as inferior to men. Poor hygiene and sanitation facilities in schools cause girls to experience menstruation as shameful and uncomfortable. The objective of the study was to assess and compare the status of menstrual hygiene management among rural and urban adolescent school girls.Methods: A community-based cross-sectional study was carried out from 01 September 2016 to 31 October 2016, among 244 adolescent school girls, in urban and rural field practice areas of A.J. Institute of Medical Sciences of Research, Mangaluru, Karnataka.Results: A total of 244 adolescent school girls participated in this study. Out of these, 54.17% girls were from rural, while 45.83% were from the urban school. Mean age of menarche of all the respondents was 12.61±0.81 years. Overall, 69.67% girls were aware of menstruation prior to attainment of menarche. The awareness was found to be more among urban school girls (72.32%) as compared to rural girls (67.42%). The study brings out that 49.24% of the girls in the rural school and 65.17% of the girls in urban school were using sanitary pads. ‘High cost’ was cited as the main reason for not using the sanitary pads.Conclusions: Menstrual hygiene management was found to be sub-optimal among both, urban as well as rural adolescent girls.


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