Enhancing Well-Being: Menstrual Sanitation Practices Amongst Rural Adolescent Girls in Tamil Nadu, India

Abstract

Aim: A campaign to afford free sanitary pads to teen girls in countryside regions has been launched by the Tamil Nadu government in India. The menstrual well-being and sanitation follows of teens in a rural area of North Tamil Nadu, India are discussed in this paper, as well as their experiences utilising sanitary pads and discarded clothing. Subject and Methods: 134 adolescent girls from four villages participated in a community-based study that lasted four months and used a pre- and post-design to collect qualitative and quantitative data. The awareness of menstruation and its practises, value of life, experience with and serenity with different clothes/pads, and symptoms of reproductive tract infections were all shielded in the questionnaires. Results: At the baseline survey 90% of girls at the time were wearing worn-out clothing. Sixty-eight percent of teenage females who participated in the study stated pads remained their top optimal. None of them liked wearing worn-out clothing. The quality of life significantly increased after the insertion of pads (p 0.000). Self-reported signs of recurrent reproductive tract infections did not significantly decrease. Conclusion: This study revealed that unhygienic behaviours, such as societal limitations on food and home chores, were extensively prevalent and that most adolescent females lacked the proper understanding regarding menstruation. This research underscores the need for menstrual hygiene education and awareness.