An Educational Intervention on Situational Awareness and Understanding of Menstrual Hygiene, Knowledge, Taboo, and Its Practices among School-going Adolescent Girls in Rural Areas of Belagavi, Karnataka

Background and Aim: Menstruation is a normal physiological event for teenage girls who reach reproductive age. Superstitions and social taboos nevertheless surround it. An inadequate understanding of the menstrual cycle might lead to risky hygiene practices. Despite such clinical and educational imp...

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Main Authors: Nagma Khan, Arati Mahishale
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wolters Kluwer Medknow Publications 2024-05-01
Series:Archives of Medicine and Health Sciences
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Online Access:https://journals.lww.com/10.4103/amhs.amhs_13_24
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author Nagma Khan
Arati Mahishale
author_facet Nagma Khan
Arati Mahishale
author_sort Nagma Khan
collection DOAJ
description Background and Aim: Menstruation is a normal physiological event for teenage girls who reach reproductive age. Superstitions and social taboos nevertheless surround it. An inadequate understanding of the menstrual cycle might lead to risky hygiene practices. Despite such clinical and educational impacts, menstruation-related information and hygienic behaviors are not adequately addressed in India, particularly among adolescent girls. Hence, the main objective of this study was to enhance adolescent schoolgirls’ knowledge and usage of menstrual hygiene management in the Belagavi District through educational intervention. Materials and Methods: Four eighty-four adolescent girls aged between 12 and 19 years were randomly assigned into the intervention group (IG group) and control group (CG group) (n = 242 per group). Both groups received one session of an educational intervention. Before and after the intervention, they were requested to complete outcome assessments using the Menstrual Knowledge, Sociocultural Restrictions and Barriers Questionnaire and Menstrual Practice Needs Scale-36. Results: The result of the study has revealed statistical significance. The IG group demonstrated an extremely significant change in both outcome measures’ preintervention and postintervention scores (P < 0.001). In comparison to the CG, the interventional group had superior postinterventional knowledge and hygiene practices, according to the between-group analysis (P < 0.001). Conclusion: According to the current research findings, knowledge levels significantly increased in the IG (88.8%) and the CG (28.45%). Adolescent girls’ practice scores also revealed a significant rise in the IG of 44.6% and no change in the CG. Thus, the educational program’s goals of enhancing menstrual hygiene understanding and practice were achieved effectively.
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spelling doaj-art-137221d5ce7d4318a72d7070ce2a393a2025-01-23T08:58:33ZengWolters Kluwer Medknow PublicationsArchives of Medicine and Health Sciences2321-48482321-60852024-05-0112221422210.4103/amhs.amhs_13_24An Educational Intervention on Situational Awareness and Understanding of Menstrual Hygiene, Knowledge, Taboo, and Its Practices among School-going Adolescent Girls in Rural Areas of Belagavi, KarnatakaNagma KhanArati MahishaleBackground and Aim: Menstruation is a normal physiological event for teenage girls who reach reproductive age. Superstitions and social taboos nevertheless surround it. An inadequate understanding of the menstrual cycle might lead to risky hygiene practices. Despite such clinical and educational impacts, menstruation-related information and hygienic behaviors are not adequately addressed in India, particularly among adolescent girls. Hence, the main objective of this study was to enhance adolescent schoolgirls’ knowledge and usage of menstrual hygiene management in the Belagavi District through educational intervention. Materials and Methods: Four eighty-four adolescent girls aged between 12 and 19 years were randomly assigned into the intervention group (IG group) and control group (CG group) (n = 242 per group). Both groups received one session of an educational intervention. Before and after the intervention, they were requested to complete outcome assessments using the Menstrual Knowledge, Sociocultural Restrictions and Barriers Questionnaire and Menstrual Practice Needs Scale-36. Results: The result of the study has revealed statistical significance. The IG group demonstrated an extremely significant change in both outcome measures’ preintervention and postintervention scores (P < 0.001). In comparison to the CG, the interventional group had superior postinterventional knowledge and hygiene practices, according to the between-group analysis (P < 0.001). Conclusion: According to the current research findings, knowledge levels significantly increased in the IG (88.8%) and the CG (28.45%). Adolescent girls’ practice scores also revealed a significant rise in the IG of 44.6% and no change in the CG. Thus, the educational program’s goals of enhancing menstrual hygiene understanding and practice were achieved effectively.https://journals.lww.com/10.4103/amhs.amhs_13_24adolescent girlsbookletmenstrual hygienemenstruationmenstrual practice needs scale-36 scaletaboovideo modules
spellingShingle Nagma Khan
Arati Mahishale
An Educational Intervention on Situational Awareness and Understanding of Menstrual Hygiene, Knowledge, Taboo, and Its Practices among School-going Adolescent Girls in Rural Areas of Belagavi, Karnataka
Archives of Medicine and Health Sciences
adolescent girls
booklet
menstrual hygiene
menstruation
menstrual practice needs scale-36 scale
taboo
video modules
title An Educational Intervention on Situational Awareness and Understanding of Menstrual Hygiene, Knowledge, Taboo, and Its Practices among School-going Adolescent Girls in Rural Areas of Belagavi, Karnataka
title_full An Educational Intervention on Situational Awareness and Understanding of Menstrual Hygiene, Knowledge, Taboo, and Its Practices among School-going Adolescent Girls in Rural Areas of Belagavi, Karnataka
title_fullStr An Educational Intervention on Situational Awareness and Understanding of Menstrual Hygiene, Knowledge, Taboo, and Its Practices among School-going Adolescent Girls in Rural Areas of Belagavi, Karnataka
title_full_unstemmed An Educational Intervention on Situational Awareness and Understanding of Menstrual Hygiene, Knowledge, Taboo, and Its Practices among School-going Adolescent Girls in Rural Areas of Belagavi, Karnataka
title_short An Educational Intervention on Situational Awareness and Understanding of Menstrual Hygiene, Knowledge, Taboo, and Its Practices among School-going Adolescent Girls in Rural Areas of Belagavi, Karnataka
title_sort educational intervention on situational awareness and understanding of menstrual hygiene knowledge taboo and its practices among school going adolescent girls in rural areas of belagavi karnataka
topic adolescent girls
booklet
menstrual hygiene
menstruation
menstrual practice needs scale-36 scale
taboo
video modules
url https://journals.lww.com/10.4103/amhs.amhs_13_24
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