Research Journal of Medical Sciences
ISSN: Online 1993-6095ISSN: Print 1815-9346
Abstract
This study was set to assess the knowledge, attitude and practices regarding menstruation in adolescent girls of high schools and junior colleges in Mangalagiri mandal of Andhra Pradesh. The present descriptive study was carried out among 456 randomly selected school or college going adolescent girls (ages 12‐16 years who attained menarche) from selected schools and colleges in Mangalagiri Mandal of Guntur district to assess their knowledge, attitude and practices regarding menstruation. After taking informed consent and ensuring confidentiality, the participants were administered a pre‐structured questionnaire containing questions about demographic details, knowledge, attitude and practice about menstruation, health status, medication use etc. The mean age of the girls in this study was 14.19±1.33 years. 70% of the girls were having normal body mass index. >10% were underweight according to BMI and more than 15% were overweight or obese. The mean age at menarche in this study was 12.44±1.02 years. >95% of girls were using disposable sanitary pads as menstrual material. Only 37% of the girls were ready with pads in their bags, remaining had to rush home or had to buy them each time. >half of the girls complained water shortage in their schools or college as a problem during menstruation and more than one third complained that there was no privacy in the schools or college to change their menstrual material. 7% of the girls were not washing their external genitalia after changing the menstrual material and >50% of the girls were washing their external genitalia only with water. Only a quarter of the study participants were following the correct way of disposing sanitary pads that is by burning. Lower abdominal pain, fatigue and back pain were the major symptoms reported during menstruation. Four fifths of the study population was experiencing dysmenorrhea of varying degrees. There was 2.04% loss of person days to school due to menstrual pain every month and around 6% of the girls said they had to abstain from school due to bleeding. A wide range of restrictions like not allowing to religious places, restriction to certain food items, etc., were imposed on many girls at the time of menstruation. Mother’s education was significantly associated with food restrictions to girls at the time of menstruation whereas caste and religion were associated with religious restrictions. Religion was also significantly associated with restriction of movement in the house. >60% of girls had menstruation related knowledge score 50% of girls had a perception score of >median regarding menstruation. Nearly two thirds of the study population had a practice score of more than median. Religion, caste, type of family, maternal education, maternal occupation, total number of family members, socio‐economic status of the family were found to be significantly associated with knowledge score. Poorly managed menstruation impacts a girl's sense of control over her life leading to feelings of shame and how she relates to her own body. It can even hinder the educational ambitions of many girls through early school dropout leading to loss of potential. Studies have shown that Programme regarding menstrual hygiene through educational television Programme, trained school nurses/health personnel, inspired school teachers and knowledgeable parents can play a very vital role in transmitting the message of correct menstrual hygiene to the adolescent girl of today.
How to cite this article:
Babitha Aila, R. Kumarswamy Raja and Ravi Shankar Tata. Knowledge, Attitude and Practice of Menstrual Hygiene in Adolescent Girls of Mangalagiri Mandal.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.36478/10.36478/makrjms.2025.1.1.10
URL: https://www.makhillpublications.co/view-article/1815-9346/10.36478/makrjms.2025.1.1.10