Awareness and practices of menstrual hygiene among females of reproductive age in rural Puducherry – a mixed method study
-
Deepika Chandar
,
Yamini Vaishnavi
Abstract
Background
Menstruation is a physiological process. Unfortunately, there is substantial lacuna in knowledge related to menstrual hygiene among females.
Objectives
To assess the awareness and prevailing practices of menstrual hygiene, prevalence of symptoms related to genito-urinary tract infection, and the factors influencing menstrual hygiene practices, among women of reproductive age in rural Puducherry.
Methodology
The study was conducted in March 2017 in rural Puducherry adopting a mixed-methods approach. A pre-tested semi-structured questionnaire was used for a quantitative survey among 357 women of reproductive age. Qualitative data was collected through focused group discussions (FGDs).
Results
The mean age of the participants was 28.25 + 9.25 years. Thirty-three percent of the respondents had menstrual knowledge prior to menarche. A total of 90.8% were aware that menstruation is a physiological process. The majority of respondents 94.1%, used sanitary napkins as absorbents during menstruation and 60.7% of them changed it 3 times a day. Regarding the method of disposal, 47.6% participants threw it into the routine waste and 43.8% burnt it after use. Among 8.9% of cloth users 62.5% used a new cloth for each cycle and 37.5% of respondents washed and reused the cloth. Satisfactory cleaning of external genitalia was practised by 62.2%. Only 11.2% respondents had symptoms related to genito-urinary tract infection. From FGDs it was observed that the several socio-cultural factors and taboos restrict them from practising safe menstrual hygiene practices.
Conclusion
Our study has revealed that most of the females are still unaware of menstrual hygienic practices which suggest the need for appropriate health intervention measures to be implemented for their well-being.
Acknowledgment
I would like to acknowledge the staff of JIRHC and the interns of 2012 for their contribution and support in conducting this study.
References
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©2018 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston
Articles in the same Issue
- Frontmatter
- Original Articles
- Awareness and practices of menstrual hygiene among females of reproductive age in rural Puducherry – a mixed method study
- Many hours of watching medical TV shows is associated with greater medical knowledge
- Spatio-temporal trends in the risk of adolescent pregnancy in Minas Gerais, Brazil, 2000–2015
- Sexual behaviour and its correlates among adolescents in Brunei Darussalam
- The relationship between anxiety and social support in male and female students in high schools in the southeast of Iran
- Cannabis and amphetamine use and socio-ecological (proximal and distal) factors among school-going adolescents in four countries in the Caribbean and four countries in South America
- Gender differences in concussion-related knowledge, attitudes and reporting-behaviours among high school student-athletes
- Determinants of overweight and obesity among urban school-going children and adolescents: a case-control study in Bangladesh
- Addiction to the Internet and mobile phones and its relationship with loneliness in Iranian adolescents
- Prevalence and associated factors for social phobia among school-going adolescents in a rural area of Puducherry, South India
- Self-efficacy of osteoporosis preventive behaviors and its predictors in Iranian adolescents
- Prevalence of pediculosis and its related factors among primary school girls in the north of Iran
- Risk behaviors in adolescence – a study in a Portuguese health unit
- Statistical analysis for the impact of smoking on the behavior and health of Qatari adolescents
- Risk behaviors screening in Thai adolescents with acute and chronic illnesses
- Prenatal and early life origins of adolescence sleep problems: evidence from a birth cohort
- Intake of fruit, vegetables and milk products and correlates among school boys in Saudi Arabia
- Determinants of early marriage among female adolescent in Indonesia
- Social health needs of Iranian male adolescents
- Radiation and its associated health risks: assessment of knowledge and risk perception among adolescents and young adults in Saudi Arabia
- What does social media have to do with health? A case study of Bangkok youths
- Determining the development of syntax in typically-developing Indian adolescents using a syntactic analysis package
- Prevalence of traumatic injuries to the anterior teeth among 3–17-year-old school children of Indore and correlating it with Kuppuswamy SES, occlusal relationship and ascertaining percentage of those seeking the treatment
- Impaired dynamic thiol/disulfide homeostasis in pubertal gynecomastia
- Can upper limb taping or exercises improve hand function, writing speed and self-perception of performance in adolescent school children?
- Hemihyperplasia/hemihypertrophy in adolescents: prospective international study
- Depression in a sample of Tunisian adolescents: prevalence, associated factors and comorbidity with anxiety disorders
- Predictors of sexual function in pregnant Iranian adolescents
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- Short Communications
- Violence depicted in advertisements on LinkNYC kiosks in Manhattan, New York City
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Articles in the same Issue
- Frontmatter
- Original Articles
- Awareness and practices of menstrual hygiene among females of reproductive age in rural Puducherry – a mixed method study
- Many hours of watching medical TV shows is associated with greater medical knowledge
- Spatio-temporal trends in the risk of adolescent pregnancy in Minas Gerais, Brazil, 2000–2015
- Sexual behaviour and its correlates among adolescents in Brunei Darussalam
- The relationship between anxiety and social support in male and female students in high schools in the southeast of Iran
- Cannabis and amphetamine use and socio-ecological (proximal and distal) factors among school-going adolescents in four countries in the Caribbean and four countries in South America
- Gender differences in concussion-related knowledge, attitudes and reporting-behaviours among high school student-athletes
- Determinants of overweight and obesity among urban school-going children and adolescents: a case-control study in Bangladesh
- Addiction to the Internet and mobile phones and its relationship with loneliness in Iranian adolescents
- Prevalence and associated factors for social phobia among school-going adolescents in a rural area of Puducherry, South India
- Self-efficacy of osteoporosis preventive behaviors and its predictors in Iranian adolescents
- Prevalence of pediculosis and its related factors among primary school girls in the north of Iran
- Risk behaviors in adolescence – a study in a Portuguese health unit
- Statistical analysis for the impact of smoking on the behavior and health of Qatari adolescents
- Risk behaviors screening in Thai adolescents with acute and chronic illnesses
- Prenatal and early life origins of adolescence sleep problems: evidence from a birth cohort
- Intake of fruit, vegetables and milk products and correlates among school boys in Saudi Arabia
- Determinants of early marriage among female adolescent in Indonesia
- Social health needs of Iranian male adolescents
- Radiation and its associated health risks: assessment of knowledge and risk perception among adolescents and young adults in Saudi Arabia
- What does social media have to do with health? A case study of Bangkok youths
- Determining the development of syntax in typically-developing Indian adolescents using a syntactic analysis package
- Prevalence of traumatic injuries to the anterior teeth among 3–17-year-old school children of Indore and correlating it with Kuppuswamy SES, occlusal relationship and ascertaining percentage of those seeking the treatment
- Impaired dynamic thiol/disulfide homeostasis in pubertal gynecomastia
- Can upper limb taping or exercises improve hand function, writing speed and self-perception of performance in adolescent school children?
- Hemihyperplasia/hemihypertrophy in adolescents: prospective international study
- Depression in a sample of Tunisian adolescents: prevalence, associated factors and comorbidity with anxiety disorders
- Predictors of sexual function in pregnant Iranian adolescents
- Spiritual belief and its link with potentially addictive behaviors in a youth sample in Switzerland
- Short Communications
- Violence depicted in advertisements on LinkNYC kiosks in Manhattan, New York City
- Major food groups contributing to sodium intake in school-attending adolescents
