Educational Intervention on Menstrual Hygiene Knowledge and Attitude among Adolescent Girls in Dehradun: A Quasi-Experimental Study

Abstract

Adolescence embodies the complex biological changes of human growth, featuring swift physical and psychological maturation toward adult form. Remarkably, many girls undergo puberty before seven, with black girls often experiencing it earlier than white peers. The study aims to assess the impact of educational intervention on knowledge and attitude regarding menstrual hygiene among adolescent girls at selected schools in Dehradun, Uttarakhand. The study revealed that the pretest knowledge score had a mean of 15.94 with a standard deviation 5.55. In contrast, the post-test knowledge score significantly increased, with a mean of 17.66 and a standard deviation of 5.35. The mean difference of 1.722 between the pretest and post-test scores was statistically significant, as indicated by the t-value of 19.259 (p < 0.01). The pretest attitude score had a mean of 12.56 with a standard deviation of 2.48. In contrast, the post-test attitude score exhibited a notable increase, with a mean of 15.38 and a standard deviation of 3.26. The mean difference (MD) of 2.82 between the pretest and post-test scores was found to be highly statistically significant, as indicated by the t-value of 10.759 (p < 0.001). Hence, the null hypothesis is rejected, and the alternate hypothesis is accepted. Notably, fathers’ educational status and family income emerged as significant factors. Furthermore, habitat and fathers’ educational status emerged as significant influencers of attitudes.