Knowledge, Attitudes, And Practices of Menstrual Hygiene Among School Going Adolescent Girls - A Cross-Sectional Survey

Menstruation is visible manifestation of cyclic physiologic uterine bleeding due to shedding of endometrium, under the influence of hormones mainly through Hypothalamo-pituitary-ovarian axis. Menarche occurs between 11 and 15 years with a mean of 13 years, and continues at intervals of 21-35 days. The duration of menstruation is about 4-5 days and amount of blood loss is 20-80ml with average of 35ml.Though it is physiological, it is considered as inauspicious, unclean practice in Indian context. Menstrual hygiene management is about using a clean menstrual management material to absorb or collect menstrual blood, that can be changed in privacy as often as necessary for entire menstrual period, using soap and water for washing  body as required, having access to safe and convenient facilities to dispose of used materials.40%  and 45% of adolescent girls have poor knowledge and unsafe hygiene practices of  menstruation.The main hindrance in developing countries is the lack of facilities of  WASH (water, sanitation, and hygiene), proper information, suitable environment,  support, which ultimately affects their basic human rights to education, health, and privacy. Such unsafe practices are associated with reproductive morbidities such as genital tract infections, urinary tract infections, and bad odour. Vast information gap exists among adolescent girls regarding prior awareness about menstruation and hygiene.Lack of knowledge and skills of mothers to communicate and educate their daughters regarding menstruation and hygiene practices adds to issue. Further, misconceptions on menstruation results in faulty practices. Hence to bridge the gap, impart proper awareness at right time escalate safe practices, mitigates suffering and aid in reducing chronic pelvic pain, dysmenorrhea, infertility and cervical neoplasia. This study is planned to explore knowledge, attitude and current practices on menstrual hygiene among adolescent girls in and around Kumbalagodu, a small town situated in the outskirts of Bengaluru with estimated population around 13,900.

Primary objective:

To explore the knowledge, attitudes, status of hygiene and practices regarding menstruation among adolescent school girls

Secondary objective:

1.      To assess the awareness (knowledge) about menarche and their sources of information before its onset;

2.      To find out the prevailing practices for menstrual hygiene among adolescent girls;

3.      To assess the restrictions which were practiced by adolescent schoolgirls during menstruation;

4.     To ascertain the association of awareness of menstruation before menarche and practices for menstruation hygiene with educational status of respondents and their mothers