Knowledge, practices, and restrictions related to menstruation among school going adolescent girls and their relation to school absenteeism in Ghaziabad: A cross sectional study

Abstract

Onset of menarche is a special period when adolescent girl undergoes various social emotional and physiological changes. They often lack knowledge regarding reproductive health which can be due to socio-cultural barriers in which they grow up. Though menstruation is a natural process, it is associated with misconceptions and challenges among girls in developing countries. This has led to decrease in school attendance and increasing numbers of school dropouts. With focus on the school girls, this study examined knowledge about menstruation, determinants of menstrual management and its influence on school-attendance in Ghaziabad. An observational study was conducted over a period of 3 months from January 2019 to March 2019. All adolescent school going girls who presented in the Gynae OPD in Santosh Medical College & Hospital, Ghaziabad, were recruited in the study. They were interviewed after their informed consent using a pretested structured questionnaire which focused on socio-demographic factors, parental factors, knowledge, social restrictions and hygienic management regarding menstruation, problems associated with menstrual health practices and school attendance. Frequencies were calculated for different variables. Data was analyzed and p value of The mean age at menarche was 13.67 (±1.17) years. About 61% of girls had knowledge about menstruation and its management. Only 32% of the girls used sanitary napkins as absorbent during menstruation. About 128 girls were reported to have been absent from school during their menstruation period. Those who did not use sanitary napkins, where there were lack of facilities and restrictions on playing were more likely to be absent from school (p Keywords: Menstrual hygiene, Menstrual knowledge, Menarche, Sanitary napkins, Adolescent school girls, School absenteeism, School dropout.