Knowledge of Menstrual Hygiene among Adolescent Girls in a Rural Area of Kanyakumari District of Tamilnadu

Abstract

Background: Menstruation is a physiological process and is an important landmark in the process of growth and maturation. It is surrounded by various customs, myths and taboos. For proper menstrual hygiene, requires access to appropriate materials and facilities, without which can lead to poor health consequences. Objective: To assess the knowledge of menstrual hygiene among adolescent girls in a rural area of Kanyakumari District and to find out the factors related to knowledge of menstrual hygiene. Materials and Methods: Community based cross sectional study was conducted during January 2016 - June 2017 among 250 adolescent girls, 10-19 years of age group residing in rural area of Kanyakumari district. Adolescent girls were interviewed by a pretested interview schedule to assess their knowledge, attitude and practices regarding menstruation and menstrual hygiene. Results: Mean age of the study participants is 14.23 years majority of the study participants are currently school going (94.8%) and all the participants’ mothers are literate. 48% of the adolescent girls have adequate knowledge about menstruation and menstrual hygiene. Education of mother, education of the participant and socioeconomic status is associated with knowledge. Conclusion: Less than half of the study participants had adequate knowledge about menstruation and menstrual hygiene.