Menstrual Hygiene Knowledge and Practices Among Adolescent Girls of Selected Schools

Menstrual hygiene management is a critical component of adolescent health and well-being, yet it remains a challenging area due to various socio-cultural, economic, and educational factors. The study aimed to evaluate adolescent girls' knowledge and practices concerning menstrual hygiene. The findings can guide healthcare professionals in developing educational programs to promote good menstrual hygiene among them. The objectives of the study were to assess the knowledge and practice regarding menstrual hygiene among adolescent girls, to find the correlation between knowledge and practice regarding menstrual hygiene and to find the association between knowledge and practices regarding menstrual hygiene among adolescent girls with selected demographic variables. The study utilized a quantitative descriptive survey research design, employing simple random sampling to explore menstrual hygiene knowledge and practices among adolescent girls aged 13-18. The results of the study say that majority 135 (67.5%) of the adolescent girls belonged to the age group of 13-14 years, more than half 157 (78.5%) of the mothers of adolescent girls were housewife, majority 153 (76.5%) of the samples had menarche between 12-15 years. Around 70 (35%) had good knowledge and maximum number of the adolescent girls 190 (95%) follow average menstrual hygiene practice. There was no significant correlation (r = 0.093 and p = 0.069) between knowledge and practice regarding menstrual hygiene among adolescent girls. Knowledge was found to have a statistically significant association with the selected demographic variables such as age of adolescent girls (p = 0.03), and commonly following diet during menstruation (p= 0.01). Practice was not found to have a statistically significant association with the selected demographic variables. The study found that adolescent girls had insufficient knowledge and moderate practice of menstrual hygiene. Enhanced health education is crucial for both adolescent girls and their mothers to reduce the risk of reproductive tract infections and promote overall well-being.