IJCM₈4A: Menstrual Hygiene Management: Status, Enablers and Barriers among Late Adolescent School Going Girls in Berhampore Municipality, West Bengal.

Background: Menstrual hygiene management (MHM) encompasses use of hygienic absorbents, appropriate frequency of changing, genital hygiene and disposal. Inadequate facilities at school pose a formidable barrier for MHM. Objective: To assess the practices related to MHM and their correlates among school going adolescent girls aged 15-19 yrs and explore the enablers and barriers of MHM from the participant’s perspective. Methodology: This concurrent mixed method study with cross-sectional design and phenomenological approach for quantitative and qualitative part respectively, was undertaken in public schools of Berhampore Municipality, Murshidabad district during September-November’23. The quantitative study was contemplated among 204 eligible participants selected through multistage random sampling. Data on background variables and variables related to MHM were collected with a predesigned, pretested self-administered questionnaire and analyzed with SPSS.20. For qualitative component, In-Depth Interviews (IDI) were done on purposively selected eight participants, representing different schools and age groups. IDIs were transcribed in verbatim and thematic analysis was done. Results: All participants used sanitary pads; 53.9%, 17.64% and 20.5% changed pads at appropriate frequency (four times/day), cleaned external genitalia (thrice/day) and disposed in covered bins respectively. Only 11.3% had favourable MHM (at least 3 correct practices out of 4). Maternal education (OR:3.44; (1.28-9.27)and occupation (OR:7.01; (2.23-21.99), socio economic status (OR:5.66;(1.52-21.02), access to continuous water supply (OR:15.40;(4.38-54.10) and disposal facilities(OR:2.88;(1.15-7.22) were significantly associated with MHM. On thematic analysis major enablers explored were conducive home environment, communication with parents, access to hygienic absorbents and access to washrooms with water supply at school; lack of access to hygienic washrooms and proper disposal facility at school, long duration of school and limited communication were identified as barriers for MHM. Conclusion: Among the school girls in this area unfavourable MHM was alarmingly high, surfacing multiple factors amenable to change by ensuring access to proper services/facilities and communication about MHM.